US Postal Service will continue accepting packages from China, Hong Kong, reversing earlier decision

The United States Postal Service announced Wednesday that it would continue to accept international packages from China and Hong Kong, one day after the agency said it would suspend receiving them. 

The postal service appear to say the policy back-and-forth had to do with the tariffs imposed by China that will go into place Feb. 10, in retaliation to ones President Trump imposed over the weekend. 

Trump in officially imposing 10% tariffs on China imports also eliminated a duty-free exemption for low-value packages coming from China. 

“The USPS and Customs and Border Protection are working closely together to implement an efficient collection mechanism for the new China tariffs to ensure the least disruption to package delivery,” the Postal Service said in a statement.

U.S. officials have also said the growth in shipments makes it harder to screen goods for security risks, according to CBS News. 

The "de minimis," duty-free exemption allows goods valued at $800 or below to come into the United States without paying duties or certain taxes, but it has faced scrutiny as a result in a surge in shipments claiming the exemption in recent years, the news outlet also reports.