Immediate stop

US Postal Service puts a stop to parcels from China

In the wake of the new trade conflict between Washington and Beijing, the US Postal Service has announced that it will no longer accept parcels from China and Hong Kong for the time being.(Bild: Charles Rex Arbogast / AP / picturedesk.com)

In the midst of the new trade conflict between Washington and Beijing, the US Postal Service has decided to stop allowing parcels from China and Hong Kong into the country for the time being. The stop applies until further notice.

Letters are not affected. When asked, the US Postal Service did not initially provide any information on the reasons for the suspension.

One probable cause could be that US President Donald Trump also lifted the general exemption for parcels with a value of less than 800 dollars when he imposed additional tariffs of ten percent on goods from China.

In the wake of the new trade conflict between Washington and Beijing, the US Postal Service has announced that it will no longer accept parcels from China and Hong Kong for the time being.(Bild: Charles Rex Arbogast / AP / picturedesk.com)

Thanks to this so-called de minimis regulation, Chinese online retailers such as Temu and Shein were previously able to deliver items to the USA. Now these parcels would also have to go through customs.

EU is "prepared"
After US President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs on products from Mexico, Canada and China on Saturday - some of which he suspended again immediately afterwards - tariffs on products from the EU are set to follow "fairly soon". The EU is already prepared for this, said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Ideally, however, an escalation would be prevented by prompt talks with Trump, added von der Leyen. If necessary, the EU would also negotiate. "Tariffs increase business costs, harm workers and consumers, create unnecessary economic disruption and drive up inflation". The EU is also considering new fees for online stores such as Shein and Temu.