Hong Kong Suspends Mail Service for U.S.-Bound Goods in Response to ‘Bullying’ Tariffs

Hong Kong Post announced it is stopping the mailing of goods to the United States, referring to what they perceive as unfair and bullying tariffs imposed by Washington.

In an emphatic statement on Wednesday, the postal service reported it had stopped sea mail services for goods and that, as of April 27, the air mail of parcels containing goods will be suspended.

This decision came after the U.S. government’s cancellation of the “de minimis” exemption, which allowed for the duty-free entry of small-value items into the country. Tariffs on goods shipped from Hong Kong to the U.S. will sharply increase effective from May 2.

The postal service also warned Hongkongers: Those intending to send goods to the U.S. by other services should expect a huge charge on the other side of the ocean and that shall be unreasonable.

The restriction, nevertheless, will not apply to documents or letters—since only parcels containing goods shall be impacted under the new rule.

The newness in the decision grows with it being a further addition to the already tense relationship between the United States and China. While Hong Kong functions as a special administrative region, the United States government has begun to treat this island as mainland China. This was after the implementation of the controversial national security law of 2020, imposed in Hong Kong by Beijing, that caused the United States to deny its special trade status to the city.

Once proud of being a world/global free-trade center, Hong Kong has lost much of its significance in international shipping, hanging in the balance, and caught up in a bigger geopolitical tug-of-war, where the businesses and common men are beginning to feel the pinch.