U.S. Postal Service resumes taking Chinese packages after pause over tariffs

The U.S. Postal Service says it will continue to accept packages from China and Hong Kong, reversing a pause that coincided with President Trump’s decision to revoke a privilege that allowed many small packages from those places to enter the U.S. duty-free.

Mr. Trump paused proposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada this week but allowed a new 10% levy to hit China on Tuesday. He also eliminated the “de minimis” exception that allowed parcels of $800 or lesser value to go straight from China to U.S. recipients without duties or close inspection.

The postal service’s pause only lasted hours on Wednesday, though it underscored the difficulty of adjusting to the new rules.

“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 said in a statement.

Several million low-value packages come into the U.S. each day, many from China. However, Mr. Trump and others say the de minimis exemption allowed fentanyl and other drugs to slip into the U.S.

UPS, FedEx and other companies must adjust to the new landscape. The change might be devastating for clothing retailers like Shein and Temu, which shipped low-cost packages to U.S. consumers under the de minimis exception.

Beijing has criticized Mr. Trump’s measures and imposed retaliatory tariffs.

“Trade and tariff wars have no winners. Putting pressure on China or threatening China will lead nowhere,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Wednesday.

“We call on the U.S. to stop politicizing and weaponizing trade and economic issues, and stop groundlessly going after Chinese companies,” he said. “China will also continue to take necessary measures to firmly defend the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies.”