In the latest escalation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s global trade war, Hong Kong says it will no longer handle packages coming from or shipping to the U.S.
The Hong Kong government says in a statement that the move comes after the U.S. announced last week that it would eliminate the “duty-free de minimis” exception for items that would normally be shipped to Americans.
That exception applied to all international postal goods that were valued at or under US$800 that entered the country from China and Hong Kong, according to a fact sheet published by the White House on the change.
“For sending items to the U.S., the public in Hong Kong should be prepared to pay exorbitant and unreasonable fees due to the U.S.’s unreasonable and bullying acts,” the statement reads.
“The U.S. is unreasonable, bullying and imposing tariffs abusively.”
The Hong Kong government went on to say it would suspend the acceptance of any items shipped by sea starting immediately, while items shipped by air will no longer be accepted after April 27.
Senders who have posted items that have not yet been shipped will be contacted to arrange the return of items and a refund on postage starting April 22.
Postage containing only documents, however, will still be accepted.
It’s the latest ripple effect being seen amid tariffs imposed by each country on the other.
As of Wednesday, U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports sit at 145 per cent, while China’s on U.S. products are at 125 per cent.