A Latin term that’s been little-known outside the world of customs brokers has suddenly become the stuff of headlines. Along with imposing new 10% tariffs on all Chinese imports as of Feb. 4, US President Donald Trump suspended his country’s special rules for “de minimis” merchandise from China and Hong Kong.

China imposed tariffs on some U.S. imports in response to new tariffs President Donald Trump put on Chinese goods beginning shortly after midnight on Tuesday.

A Trump administration order over the weekend added a 10 percent tariff to goods from China and closed the de minimis exception, a loophole that lets packages valued under $800 enter the US duty-free. The new rules appear to have quickly resulted in people being asked to pay additional charges on many more shipments from China.

U.S. President Donald Trump this week shut a trade loophole that has been used to ship low-value packages duty-free from China, the "de minimis" exemption on import tariffs. Trump's halt to Section 321 de minimis is part of his implementation of an additional 10% tariff on China and 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico,