Hong Kong라이브 바카라 postal service will cease handling packages sent to or arriving from the United States, marking the latest development in the ongoing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Calling the US actions “unreasonable” and “bullying,” the Hong Kong government warned that residents should expect significantly higher shipping costs as a result of the changes.
Hong Kong라이브 바카라 postal service will cease handling packages sent to or arriving from the United States, marking the latest development in the ongoing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Hong Kong government cited U.S. President Donald Trump라이브 바카라 recent decision to remove the de minimis exemption for international shipments from Hong Kong. Previously, the exemption allowed goods valued at $800 or less to enter the U.S. without incurring tariffs.
Calling the U.S. actions “unreasonable” and “bullying,” a CNN reported said that the government warned that residents should expect significantly higher shipping costs as a result of the changes.
According to the announcement, Hongkong Post will immediately stop accepting sea-bound packages and will halt acceptance of air parcels starting April 27. Standard mail items containing only documents, such as letters, will not be affected.
The retaliatory move means companies and individuals in Hong Kong will have to pay private couriers such as FedEx and DHL to deliver packages, further driving up costs for consumers on top of US levies.
Earlier, Trump signed an executive order earlier this month raising tariffs on goods worth $800 or less sent from China, including Hong Kong, arguing it was being used by retailers to avoid import taxes and customs inspections.
Initially, the exemption was set to expire and those goods were set to face tariffs of 30% on May 2. But Trump라이브 바카라 latest executive order last week hiked the rates to 120% (or a “per postal item” cost of $100 starting May 2, which goes up to $200 on June 1).
Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous Chinese city, has long been known as a free and open international trading port, which charges minimal import levies and no sales tax. It previously had a special trading status with the US, which allowed goods from the city to be subject to lower tariffs and a customs process separate to that for goods from mainland China.
Trump revoked the special trade status in 2020 during his first administration, voicing concerns over the city라이브 바카라 deteriorating freedom and autonomy as Beijing cracked down on protests and imposed a sweeping national security law on the financial hub.
As tensions flare between Washington and Beijing, Hong Kong is increasingly caught in the crossfire. Exports from Hong Kong are now subject to the same 145% tariff the Trump administration has slapped on imports from China, even though the city has decided not to follow Beijing라이브 바카라 lead in retaliating with a 125% levy on American imports.
Hong Kong라이브 바카라 leader John Lee, who was selected for the job by a largely government-appointed, pro-Beijing committee, joined Chinese officials on Tuesday to hit back at Washington with a stern rebuttal.