The United States will reduce the “minimis” price for low value from China to 30%, according to an executive decree of the White House and Industry experts, further disorging a potentially damaging trade war between the two largest economies in the world.
The order published late Monday offers a certain relief to the great Chinese electronic commerce players Shein and Temu and follows a weekend agreement between Beijing and Washington to relax for 90 days most of the Tat-For-Tat prices imposed on the products of the other since early April.
Although their joint declaration following talks in Geneva did not mention the minimis functions, the order signed by President Donald Trump said that direct debit for consumption postal shipments will be reduced to 54% of 120% for items evaluated up to $ 800, from Wednesday. Another flat fee of $ 100 per postal package remains in force, but an increase scheduled from June 1 to $ 200 has been canceled.
There are different rules for packages managed by commercial delivery companies such as United Parlia Service, Fedex and DHL, which has sent millions of Shein and TEMU packages before the end of the tax status for Chinese shipments worth $ 800.
The rate of these packages is now by default at the American rate rate reduced by 30% compared to 145% for Chinese imports, Reuters in Reuters anonymously told Reuters for fear of reprisals.
The rate of 30% reflects the Trump administration’s decision to reduce China’s “reciprocal” rights rate to 10% by 145%, plus a 20% distinct right linked to the American fentanyl crisis.
The White House and the office of the American commercial representative did not immediately respond to a clarification request.
The commercial representative Jamieson Greer said on Tuesday that the world rate of 10% of 10% would remain in place to help rebuild the American manufacturing base.
Commercial shippers generally allow sellers to China before shipping, but the American postal service is not set up to manage the tariff collections. Four sources have told Reuters most of the TEMU and Shein shipments are managed by commercial carriers.
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Many China consumer goods in the commercial channel will always be subject to much higher tasks imposed by previous commercial actions or surveys on national sectoral security. For example, syringes and surgical gloves are subject to 100% tasks under commercial action in the American article 301.
One of the delivery experts, however, said that if they were shipped by a postal carrier in quantities worth less than $ 800, they may be able to arrive in the United States for only cost of $ 100, or an effective rate of 12.5%.
In February, Trump put an end to the exemption from minimis and imposed different rules for parcels managed by postal services or commercial delivery companies – blame the exemption for having enabled a flow of shipments of Chinese electronic commercial companies and fentanyl traffickers and other illicit products.
The number of deliveries entering the United States via the tax franchise channel has exploded in recent years with more than 90% of all the packages to come via minimis. Among these, around 60% came from China, led by direct retailers to consumers such as TEMU and Shein.
According to the testimony of the congress in 2024 of an American civil servant on customs and border protection, the average value of a minimis shipping during the year 2023 was only $ 54.
Chinese online retailers Shein – which plans a London – and Temp stock list belonging to PDD assets, as well as the American Rival Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
China has exported $ 240 billion in direct goods to consumers benefiting from Minmis worldwide last year, representing 7% of its sales abroad and contributing 1.3% of gross domestic product, according to nomura estimates.
Jianlong Hu, CEO of Brands Factory, a Chinese cross -border electronic commercial firm, said that a 54% rate was still very high.
“Sellers probably adopt an expected approach, but in general, I think it is just to say boom times of the delivery of small packages in China to the United States, the golden age has already disappeared.”
Shein is more exposed to minimis changes because of his dependence on the speed of obtaining thousands of new styles each week to consumers to the west by plane than others like TEMU.
Shein could always be a player who would like to send by Air Freight certain packages from China and pay the rate of 54% rather than importing everything by boat, Hu.
“If people buy clothes on Shein and the product will arrive a month later, who will buy this?”
The Yuan in China jumped on Tuesday at a six -month summit against the dollar, joining a global gathering in risky active ingredients following the wider trade agreement between Beijing and Washington.
Trump’s World War of the World War, which has shred down the playing books that govern international trade for decades, has shaken the financial markets and raises a recession.
The rule of the United States of Minimis, which dates back to 1938, was the target of increasing criticisms of democratic and republican legislators as a escape that allows Chinese products to bypass American prices and illegal drugs and the precursors of fentanyl to enter the United States, as Reuters confirmed.
