Along with imposing new 10% tariffs on all Chinese imports as of Feb. 4, US President Donald Trump ordered the suspension of his country’s special rules for “de minimis” merchandise from China and Hong Kong.

Friday saw the president reopen the floodgates for millions of duty-free shipments from e-commerce firms like Shein and Temu.

The trade loophole is meant to ease small-scale sales — but critics say it's been abused and gives Chinese firms an unfair advantage.