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President Donald Trump has slashed the tariff on small parcels sent from mainland China and Hong Kong to the US, just hours after the world’s two biggest economies said they would cut levies on each other’s goods for 90 days.<\/p>\n
The new tariffs on small packages worth up to $800 (\u00a3606) have been cut from 120% to 54%, according to a White House statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n The flat fee per item will remain at $100 for shipments sent after 2 May, while a $200 charge due to apply from 1 June has been cancelled.<\/p>\n Chinese online retail giants Shein and Temu had previously relied on the so-called “de minimis” exemption to ship low-value items directly to customers in the US without having to pay duties or import taxes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The duty-free rule was closed by the Trump administration<\/a> earlier this month.<\/p>\n Some shoppers told the BBC that they rushed through purchases ahead of that deadline<\/a>.<\/p>\n The latest rates came after the US and China released a joint statement announcing they would temporarily reduce their tit-for-tat tariffs and start a new round of trade negotiations.<\/p>\n