USPS resumes delivery of China, Hong Kong parcels after brief suspension

The United States Postal Service, (USPS) on Wednesday morning, February 5, announced that it will continue accepting international parcels from Mainland China and Hong Kong — a reversal of an announcement made the previous night.

The Postal Service had announced that deliveries from Mainland China and Hong Kong were being suspended. But in a February 5 update, the Postal Service stated, "The USPS and Customs and Border Protection are working closely together to implement an efficient collection mechanism for the new China tariffs to ensure the least disruption to package delivery."

The USPS announcement was reported by CNN as well as CNBC.

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CNBC's Annie Palmer notes, "The move came after President Donald Trump, on Saturday, (February 1), imposed an additional 10 percent tax on Chinese goods, as part of sweeping new tariffs on the country's top three trading partners. Trump, on Monday, (February 3), agreed to hold off on imposing 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico for 30 days."

According to CNN reporters y Eric Cheung and Ramishah Maruf, "Although no reason was given for the initial suspension of package deliveries from China, the Postal Service suggested Wednesday it was related to broad-based new tariffs imposed Tuesday and elimination of the de minimis exemption. This exemption had allowed anyone, including exporters, to ship packages worth less than $800 to the United States without duties or needing to undergo inspections. Inspecting incoming parcels to collect the new import taxes could prove extremely difficult.

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