The contents of this article are written with authoritative materials and personal opinions. The source of the literature has been marked at the end of the article, so please know.
In this world, there is some fairness in people's hearts.
Trump estimated that he hadn’t thought that his tax policy on Chinese cross-border e-commerce had sparked opposition from 25 countries, including America’s most fierce allies.
The situation he most did not want to see, so quietly appeared, and there is no need for China to do it.。Twenty-five countries around the world have successively announced that they will take the same countermeasures against Trump's trade policies.
Some observers say this is "surrounding Wei to save Zhao", and it is estimated that Trump himself did not expect this to happen.
The cause of the incident was that the U.S. government signed a new policy on July 30.According to media reports, starting from August 29th, the United States will cancel the duty-free policy for imported packages under $800.
In other words, in the future, small parcels sent to the United States through international postal services will have to pay the same tariffs as goods exported to the United States from the country of origin.
How to collect it specifically? Divide into three gears,If the country of origin's tariff on the United States is less than 16%, each small parcel will be charged US$80; if it is between 16% and 25%, US$160; if it exceeds 25%, US$200 will be charged.
The Trump administration said it did so to solve the problem of the U.S. Fentanyl flood. He felt that the U.S. Fentanyl was mainly shipped through small packages by illegal organizations abroad.
Because there were too many small packages and customs inspections failed, there were gaps in the regulation of fentanyl and other controlled drugs.
However, there are criticisms that the government does not take care of its domestic legal system and law enforcement, but blames China and even the world.
US Customs data shows thatIn 2024, the United States processed 1.36 billion small postal clearance packages with a total value of US$65 billion, of which almost 60% came from China, and most of them were duty-free.
It’s not the first time Trump has talked about Naftany’s imposition of tariffs on China.In February and March, he imposed 20% tariffs on China for similar reasons.
At the time, China also countered, adding tariffs of 10% to 15% on U.S. coal, liquefied natural gas, agricultural products, etc., and also tightened controls on U.S. rare earth exports, which is a reciprocal but not very different response.
China has always said that the problem of Fentanyl is a problem of the US own market and regulation.What China can do is fight cross-border smuggling together, not solve domestic problems for the United States.
I don’t think that this time China hasn’t done it yet, other countries have rushed ahead.On August 26, Russian Post announced that it would suspend sending goods and packages to the United States and only send ordinary letters.
This immediately caused a chain reaction.As of August 27, 25 countries including Russia, France, Germany, South Korea, and India had stopped sending packages to the United States.
There are many good allies of the United States, such as France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Australia and Canada. The Universal Postal Union, a subsidiary of the United Nations, also said that this policy of the United States was too sudden and the details of its operation were unclear, which made everyone at a loss.
The reaction of all countries is great, South Korea is quite typical, the president just went to Washington to visit, and talked to the Americans "Hong Kong-U.S. relations are very good", as a result, the president has not returned to the country, the South Korean e-commerce has suffered, the postal department had to announce the suspension of sending packages to the United States.
EU countries are also very unhappy. Although Germany and France had opinions before, they still endured it.As a result, just after breathing a sigh of relief, there will be a more powerful "parcel tax" in 2025.
According to the European Union,The EU's small package exports to the U.S. in 2024 amounted to €12 billion, and now the road is blocked and the impact is too big.
Why can these countries tolerate reciprocal tariffs, but not the Trump administration’s cancellation of the small package tax exemption?"Reciprocal tariffs" are a matter of the state and are coercive; The "cancellation of tax exemption for small parcels" directly affects the profits of enterprises and markets.
Postal and logistics companies make money on volume, speed and price.If the government intervenes, the small parcel business will lose money, and the company will definitely consider whether to ship goods to the United States.
Many countries' postal departments and logistics companies prefer to take their time, rather than reducing the revenue from trade and postal services with the United States at once.
The US Department of Commerce is concerned about the impact on cross-border e-commerce; the Treasury Department feels that the cost of collecting taxes may exceed the benefits;Customs said more directly that "manpower is not enough, technology is not", and can not handle so many small packages at all.
Before this policy was implemented, American retail associations and logistics giants began to warn.Platforms such as FedEx and UPS are under great pressure, and platforms such as Amazon and eBay are the first to bear the brunt.
If the road of overseas direct mail is blocked, these platforms will sell less things and have no price advantage. American consumers, especially middle- and low-income groups who rely on online shopping, will definitely have to spend more.
Consumer Union statistics say that after the new rules are implemented, each package costs an average of $15 to $30 more.
As early as 2025, the tariff war between China and the United States meant a bit of "cold handling", and the two sides added 10% to each other.In the face of the United States bullying other countries, China did not say a word, but instead became a "fixed needle" to stabilize the global supply chain.
Many countries have begun to discuss with China to see if they can build new alternative channels.Things such as RCEP, the "Belt and Road" logistics hub, and the digital RMB cross-border settlement system have all been put on the agenda.
This is not only a resistance to U.S. policy, but also a confirmation of China’s supply chain capabilities.
Just a few days before the new U.S. policy comes into effect, Trump faces a problem.Is it to push it down and risk being isolated globally; or to back down and take back your life?
From his previous practices, he was likely to go alone, but also to "see the wind of the wheel". in early this year, suspended China's package policy, the result was changed in less than 24 hours.
Trump's plan is very good. He wants to take advantage of allies while raising taxes on China is limited. But he did not expect that if he used allies as cash machines, the entire American-led international system would collapse.
It seems to me,The turmoil caused by this package shows that unilateral trade policies are simply unworkable in the era of global connectivity.
References:
1. "The United States will suspend tax exemption for small parcels starting from the 29th, and the UPU will assist member countries in responding" 2025-08-28 22:16 | Source: 21st Century Business Herald
Impacted by U.S. tariff policy, Russian Post suspends shipment of goods to the U.S. 2025-08-27 15:29
3. "The Two Core Topics of Li Jaiming's First Visit to the United States: Trade and Security" 2025-08-24 19:48 | Source: Jiemu News