Trump Takes Aim at China by Questioning International Postal Rates
- President calls for elimination of ‘artificially low’ rates
- Rate changes would impact Amazon, Alibaba, FedEx, EBay
U.S. President Donald Trump
Photographer: Yuri Gripas/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Donald Trump has found another tool to step up the pressure against China over its exports to the U.S.: the international mail system.
In a memo issued Thursday, the U.S. president directed the U.S. Postal Service to eliminate international postal discounts that let Chinese merchants inexpensively ship goods directly to U.S. consumers’ homes. Such a move could potentially raise costs for Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., while helping e-commerce platforms such as Amazon.com Inc., as well as FedEx Corp. and other international shipping companies.