Hong Kong Suspends Packages to U.S. Wading Into the Trade War

The New York Times [no paywall]: “Stepping into the trade war, Hong Kong said on Wednesday that its postal service will no longer send packages to the United States. It is the city’s first move in a spiraling conflict between China and the United States that is reordering global shipping routes. President Trump this month ordered the closure of a loophole that allowed retailers to send clothes and goods from China and Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, to the United States without having to pay tariffs. After that change takes effect on May 2, United States Customs and Border agents will begin to collect previously exempted tariffs on shipments worth less than $800. Hongkong Post said it would immediately stop accepting surface postal items containing goods to the United States, and would stop taking airmail packages starting April 27. It said the action was in response to Mr. Trump’s tariffs on China, which are now 145 percent…The value of goods shipped to the United States from Hong Kong totaled $34.8 billion and accounted for around 6.5 percent of the city’s total exports in 2023, according to government data. The United States is Hong Kong’s third-largest trading partner, with total trade between them amounting to $60.3 billion.”