US Announces Intent to Withdraw From Universal Postal Union
The United States says it intends to withdraw from the 192-country Universal Postal Union (UPU), an agency that governs international postal rates, the White House announced on Oct. 17.
The yearlong withdrawal process was set in motion via a Letter of Denunciation served in Switzerland on the same day. During the process, the Trump administration hopes to renegotiate a shipping arrangement that is causing $300 million in annual losses to the U.S. postal system, hurting American manufacturers, and facilitating the shipment of counterfeit goods and narcotics, according to a senior White House official.
“If negotiations are successful, the Administration is prepared to rescind the notice of withdrawal and remain in the UPU,” Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, said in a statement.
A spokesman for the UPU told The Epoch Times that a statement from the agency is forthcoming.
Under the current agreement, the United States Postal Service (USPS) charges foreign shippers a subsidized rate determined by the UPU to complete the last leg of shipments for light packages arriving at U.S. ports. For example, a Chinese merchant pays $1.40 to ship a counterfeit mug from China to the United States, while a U.S. company producing the original mug is paying four times the amount to ship the package domestically.
While Chinese shipments account for a large portion of the problem, other countries are benefiting from it as well, including Singapore and several European countries. The United States isn’t the only country hurting from the arrangement. Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden have all voiced similar concerns.
“This is not a China issue, per se, it is a situation where people are getting hurt in this country by an unfair system,” a senior White House official told reporters.
President Donald Trump demanded action on the issue shortly after learning about it, the official added. Administration officials raced to negotiate a solution, but the White House was forced to act unilaterally after being rebuffed by other UPU members.
The White House ultimately hopes to stay within the body, but only after securing a complete fix to the current rates for light packages weighing 4.4 pounds or less, the official said.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us-announces-withdrawal-from-universal-postal-union_2692115.html