WASHINGTON — The United States Postal Service announced Tuesday that it is temporarily suspending inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong until further notice.
The suspension is effective immediately and will not affect the flow of letters and flats from China and Hong Kong, USPS said on its website.
USPS did not give a reason for the temporary suspension but the news comes as Trump’s new 10% tariff on Chinese goods took effect Tuesday. China struck back with retaliatory tariffs on some U.S. goods that are set to begin next week.
Starting Monday, China said it would implement a 15% tariff on coal and liquefied natural gas products as well as a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars imported from the U.S.
American tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico were also set to go into effect Tuesday before Trump agreed to a 30-day pause, as the two countries acted to address his concerns about border security and drug trafficking. Trump planned to talk with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the coming days.
“It is being scheduled and will happen very soon,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.
This isn’t the first round of tit-for-tat actions between the two countries. China and the U.S. engaged in an escalating trade war in 2018, when Trump repeatedly raised tariffs on Chinese goods and China responded each time.
Analysts say China is much better prepared to counter this time around, but also wary about taking steps that could upset its own fragile and heavily trade-dependent economy.