By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-04-03 11:47:47 | Updated at 2025-04-04 06:28:36
18 hours ago
The Hong Kong government has strongly opposed the United States’ decision to impose reciprocal tariffs on Hong Kong and cancel a duty-free exemption on small parcels from the city in May, condemning the actions as bullying and unreasonable.
A government spokesman said on Thursday that the levy of the so-called reciprocal tariffs on Hong Kong products, intended to reduce the risk of transshipment and tax evasion, distorts the facts and highlights the US’ bullying behaviour aimed at suppressing its opponents.
“The actions of the United States are bullying and unreasonable, violate the rules of the World Trade Organization, and wilfully undermine the multilateral trading system as the cornerstone of international trade,” the spokesman said.
The government also said that the United States was Hong Kong’s third-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade totalling US$60.3 billion in 2023. Hong Kong has generated a US$271.5 billion trade surplus with the United States over the past years, representing the largest surplus among the city’s trading partners.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday, closing a trade exemption known as “de minimis” – a reprieve from import duties for packages from mainland China and Hong Kong valued at US$800 or less – effective May 2.
Imported goods sent through the postal network and valued at or under US$800 will now be subject to a duty rate of either 30 per cent of their value or US$25 per item, with that rate increasing to US$50 per item after June 1.
