Latest news

Among the sweeping new tariffs recently rolled out by the US government was an announcement on April 2 that it would eliminate duty-free de minimis treatment for covered goods from the Chinese mainland and the HKSAR starting on May 2. According to the White House, imported goods sent through means other than the international postal network that are valued at or under $800 and that would otherwise qualify for the de minimis exemption will be subject to all applicable duties.

"The US is unreasonable, bullying and imposing tariffs abusively. Hongkong Post will definitely not collect any so-called tariffs on behalf of the US and will suspend the acceptance of postal items containing goods destined to the US," said the HKSAR government statement.

Regarding surface mail, due to the longer shipping time, Hongkong Post will suspend the acceptance of surface postal items containing goods destined to the US with immediate effect on Wednesday. Where senders have posted surface postal items containing goods that have not yet been shipped to the US, Hongkong Post will contact the senders to arrange for the return of items and postage refunds starting from April 22.
 
Regarding air mail, Hongkong Post will suspend the acceptance of air postal items containing goods destined to the US starting from April 27. For sending items to the US, the public in Hong Kong should be prepared to pay exorbitant and unreasonable fees due to the unreasonable and bullying acts of the US. Other postal items containing documents only without goods will not be affected, the government said.

The US government initially announced on February 1 plans to end duty-free entry for cheap Chinese goods, but later paused the order because of logistical issues complicating the inspection of millions of these low-value shipments, according to Reuters.

On April 9, a spokesperson for the HKSAR Government expressed strong disapproval of the US moves, saying that "the US will eliminate the duty-free de minimis treatment for postal items dispatched from Hong Kong to the US starting from May 2, and has been continuously changing its policies unilaterally, causing a lot of confusion and inconvenience to the public."

The de minimis tariff exemption for low-value packages is a widely adopted trade facilitation measure around the world. By disregarding the reality on the ground, the US has violated the WTO's principle of non-discrimination and the spirit of fair trade. Such actions undermine the resilience of the global textile supply chain and will ultimately hurt the interests of all parties involved, including American businesses and consumers, the China National Textile and Apparel Council said in a statement on April 3.

China, as a key contributor to and participant in the global textile and apparel industry, has long met global market demand with high-quality products and services, offering American consumers a wide range of choices. Cross-border e-commerce and small-parcel trade have particularly benefited millions of US small businesses and ordinary households. The US move, which hurts others without benefiting itself, is simply indefensible, the council said.


Global Times