India, Feb. 5 -- The US Postal Service has suspended accepting parcels from mainland China and Hong Kong until further notice, escalating further tension between the world's two most powerful economies.

In a statement, the postal service said: "The Postal Service will temporarily suspend only international package acceptance of inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong Posts until further notice."

The announcement was made just days after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that terminated the "de minimis" exemption.

The rule allowed anyone, including exporters, to ship packages with less than USD 800 to the USA without duties or even undergoing inspection.

The measure was announced amid the introduction of 10 percent t...