Editing Universal Postal Union (section)

=== 2019 Extraordinary Congress ===

With the outbreak of the [[China–United States trade war]] in 2018, the issue of terminal dues was pushed into the forefront. Americans complained that mailing a package from China to the United States cost less than mailing the same package within the United States. At the time, the UPU's [[Postal Development Indicator]] scale was used to classify countries into four groups from richest to poorest. The United States was a Group I country, while China was a Group III country, alongside countries like Mexico and Turkey that had similar [[GDP per capita]]. As a result, China paid lower terminal dues than the United States.<ref name="gao2017">{{cite web |author1=United States Government Accountability Office |title=GAO-18-112, Information on Changes and Alternatives to the Terminal Dues System |url=https://www.gao.gov/assets/690/687725.pdf |date=October 2017 |access-date=25 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929033230/https://www.gao.gov/assets/690/687725.pdf |archive-date=29 September 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{rp|38}} The [[First presidency of Donald Trump|Presidency of Donald Trump]] complained that it was "being forced to heavily subsidize small parcels coming into our country."<ref>{{cite news |title=Pexit? US prepares to pull out of Universal Postal Union |url=https://www.dw.com/en/pexit-us-prepares-to-pull-out-of-universal-postal-union/a-50569818 |work=Deutsche Welle |date=24 September 2019 |access-date=25 September 2019 |archive-date=25 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925040046/https://www.dw.com/en/pexit-us-prepares-to-pull-out-of-universal-postal-union/a-50569818 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 17 October 2018, the United States announced that it would withdraw from the UPU in one year and self-declare the rates it charged to other postal services.<ref name=ecb>{{cite news |url=https://www.ecommercebytes.com/2019/04/10/universal-postal-union-reviews-three-options-for-renumeration/ |title=Universal Postal Union Reviews Three Options for Remuneration |date=10 April 2019 |agency=E-Commerce Bytes |publisher=Steiner Associates, LLC |access-date=13 May 2019 |archive-date=13 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513212358/https://www.ecommercebytes.com/2019/04/10/universal-postal-union-reviews-three-options-for-renumeration/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Universal Postal Union responded in May 2019 by calling, for only the third time in its history, an [[Postal Union Congress#Extraordinary Congresses|Extraordinary Congress]] for 24–26 September 2019.<ref name=upu3>{{cite news |title=Frequently Asked Questions: Third Extraordinary Congress |url=https://www.upu.int/en/News/2019/9/Frequently-Asked-Questions-Third-Extraordinary-Congress |work=Universal Postal Union |date=25 September 2019 |access-date=25 August 2022 |archive-date=21 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521013949/https://www.upu.int/en/News/2019/9/Frequently-Asked-Questions-Third-Extraordinary-Congress |url-status=live }}</ref> The members voted down a proposal submitted by the United States and Canada,<ref>{{cite news |first=Jamey |last=Keaten |title=World Postal Union Rejects Trump's Favored Reform Plan |url=https://apnews.com/30d73d7eb31241709ea3aee64afb23bb |work=AP News |date=24 September 2019 |access-date=25 August 2022 |archive-date=17 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817135007/https://apnews.com/30d73d7eb31241709ea3aee64afb23bb |url-status=live }}</ref> which would have allowed immediate self-declaration of terminal dues.<ref>{{cite news |title=UPU member countries narrow options on remuneration rates by rejecting Option B |url=https://www.upu.int/en/News/2019/9/UPU-member-countries-narrow-options-on-remuneration-rates-by-rejecting-Option-B |work=Universal Postal Union |date=24 September 2019 |access-date=25 August 2022 |archive-date=21 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521014837/https://www.upu.int/en/News/2019/9/UPU-member-countries-narrow-options-on-remuneration-rates-by-rejecting-Option-B |url-status=live }}</ref> The UPU then unanimously passed a Franco-German compromise to allow self-declared terminal dues of up to 70% of the domestic postage rate and increase the UPU terminal dues by 119–164%, phasing in both changes from 2021 to 2025. In addition, countries receiving more than 75,000 tonnes of mail—currently only the United States—could opt in to accelerated self-declared terminal dues on 1 July 2020 in return for an $8 million annual "contribution" to the UPU for five years.<ref name="cep">{{cite news |title=USA claims "total victory" in UPU compromise deal |url=https://www.cep-research.com/news/usa-claims-total-victory-in-upu-compromise-deal |work=CEP-Research |date=26 September 2019 |access-date=4 October 2020 |archive-date=29 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929120652/https://www.cep-research.com/news/usa-claims-total-victory-in-upu-compromise-deal |url-status=live }}</ref> Trump adviser [[Peter Navarro]] declared that the agreement "more than achieved the President's goal,"<ref name=upupr/> but he denied that the United States was "buying" the deal with its "contribution".<ref name="cep"/> UPU Director Siva Somasundram hailed the agreement as "a landmark decision for multilateralism and the Union."<ref name=msf>{{cite news |last1=Solomon |first1=Mark |title=Proposal floated to allow USPS self-declaration of foreign postal shipments; keep US in UPU |url=https://www.freightwaves.com/news/proposal-floated-to-allow-usps-self-declaration-of-foreign-postal-shipments-keep-us-in-upu |work=FreightWaves |date=20 September 2019 |access-date=25 September 2019 |archive-date=24 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924013842/https://www.freightwaves.com/news/proposal-floated-to-allow-usps-self-declaration-of-foreign-postal-shipments-keep-us-in-upu |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=upupr>{{cite news |title=UPU member countries reach unanimous agreement on postal remuneration rates |url=https://www.upu.int/en/News/2019/9/UPU-member-countries-reach-unanimous-agreement-on-postal-remuneration-rates |work=Universal Postal Union |date=25 September 2019 |access-date=25 August 2022 |archive-date=21 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521015509/https://www.upu.int/en/News/2019/9/UPU-member-countries-reach-unanimous-agreement-on-postal-remuneration-rates |url-status=live }}</ref>