President Donald Trump signed another executive order on Wednesday, directed at closing a previous loophole that postponed duties on low-cost made-in-China imports.
In a Feb. 5 executive order, Trump paused tariffs on low-cost, or de minimis, packages from China and Hong Kong until the Commerce Department could implement proper measures, procedures, and systems to ensure comprehensive package processing and duty collection.
Wednesday’s order implements duties on de minimis packages starting May 2 at 12:01 a.m., citing China’s role in facilitating synthetic opioid trafficking into the United States.
“President Trump is targeting deceptive shipping practices by Chinese-based shippers, many of whom hide illicit substances, including synthetic opioids, in low-value packages to exploit the de minimis exemption,” a White House fact sheet states....
