The US Postal Service announced on Wednesday morning (Feb. 5, local time) that it will continue accepting incoming international parcels from the mainland and Hong Kong, after saying late Tuesday night that it would suspend them.

Although no reason was given for the initial suspension of package deliveries from China, the Postal Service suggested Wednesday that it was related to broad-based new tariffs imposed Tuesday and the elimination of the minimis exemption. This exemption had allowed anyone, including exporters, to ship packages worth less than US$800 to the United States without duties or inspections. 

In a June 2023 report, the Congressional-Executive Commission on China stated that nearly half of all international packages entering the US through "minimis exemptions" came from China.

Chinese e-commerce companies Shein and Temu, which rely on the rules to avoid tariffs and keep prices low, have been hit by Trump's removal of the "minimis exemptions" provision.

"The US Postal Service 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 Postal Service said in a statement Wednesday.

Ms. Kam, a Hong Kong resident whose son is studying in the US, said she sent her son a New Year's gift through the post earlier, but the parcel is still showing up for customs clearance. She is angry and frustrated that the U.S. refuses to accept postal parcels from mainland China and Hong Kong, and worries that she will not be able to send her New Year's gift smoothly, "If the US has to deal with the sending of parcels, why don't they just get out of touch with the rest of the world?"

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