Taiwan suspends US-bound mail amid tariff wars

ISTANBUL

Taiwan’s state-run postal company suspended some shipping forms to the US on Tuesday as a tariff exemption by Washington will expire Aug. 29, Focus Taiwan reported.

Chunghwa Post announced Monday that it will stop the shipment of small parcels to the US beginning Tuesday, including express mail service (EMS) packages, international parcel posts, e-Packets, international registered small packages and international ordinary small packages under its service provisions.

The company said all mail carriers are required to remit duties to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for the packages to be cleared by the US Postal Service (USPS) for subsequent delivery.

It added that it will still continue EMS document services and accept letters, postcards, aerogrammes, printed materials and newspapers for US delivery.

Nearly 340,000 packages were sent to the US from Taiwan in 2024, according to Chunghwa Post’s statistics, with most valued at $800 or less.

The move follows several Asia-Pacific nations temporarily halting postal services to the US due to a change in the American tariff policy, including Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Singapore and Australia.

The decisions came ahead of Washington ending the de minimis exemption, which allows parcels valued at $800 or less to enter the US without tariffs.

Starting Aug. 29, barring any last-minute change in US policy, all international shipments will face a 15% tariff.​​​​​​​