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Themk US Postal Service announced on Tuesday local time that it will temporarily suspend international package acceptance of inbound parcels from the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, but clarified that letters and flats would not be affected.

The Washington Post described this move as "abrupt," linking it to the Trump administration's recent tariff hikes on Chinese goods. 

USPS did not immediately comment on whether this was tied to US President Donald Trump's change to ending "de minimis" shipments from China and other countries, Reuters reported.

On Saturday, Trump signed an executive order imposing a 10-percent tariff on Chinese imports, Xinhua News Agency reported. The move has sparked widespread criticism both within the US and globally. 

As part of its executive order on Saturday, Trump has also revoked a nearly century-old tax loophole that saved companies from paying tens of billions of dollars in fees on imports, most of which come from China, the Washington Post reported. This move could affect everyone from Etsy sellers and family-run footwear companies to e-commerce behemoths, according to the US media report. 

The US had already hyped up this issue during Trump's first term, as it has a policy that packages valued under $800 from China to the US were neither inspected nor taxed, Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.  

"Since online shopping is now the norm, a large number of packages from China enter the US through e-commerce channels. There are estimates within the US of how much tax revenue was lost annually due to this 'loophole.' So, I believe the primary consideration behind this move is commercial," Wu said. 

The Chinese expert emphasized that American consumers will bear the brunt as the US Postal Service temporarily suspends international packages from mainland and HKSAR. 

"Many of the small goods they purchase from China through online shopping are affordable and of good quality, playing an important role in meeting their daily needs. If this supply is suddenly cut off, it will be detrimental to consumers," Wu said. 

Some US e-commerce platforms will also be affected, according to CNN. 

The new rule is likely to affect e-commerce sites like Shein and Temu, which have built their gargantuan business models around this exemption, the CNN said. The relaxed restrictions and tax exemptions on cheap products have allowed more than a billion packages to pour into the US at low prices for consumers looking for deals on clothing to household goods.