US imports hit their highest on record in December as businesses responded to the threat of tariffs made by President Donald Trump by racing to secure foreign-made toys, mobile phones and computers. The value of goods brought into the US jumped 4% from November to $293.

Hong Kong's post office announced late Thursday it would continue to suspend shipping items containing goods to the United States until further notice, despite its American counterpart having reversed its ban on packages from the city and other parts of China.

The U.S. Postal Service previously announced it would suspend accepting inbound parcels from China. By Wednesday morning, the decision changed.

President Donald Trump is facing pressure from U.S. hospitals and generic drugmakers to exempt medical goods from his new tariffs on Chinese imports, as they join big pharma lobbyists who have said such trade barriers will cause shortages of medicines and higher prices in the United States.

China's tariffs - due to begin next Monday - would also apply to US oil and farm machinery, but more talks are due this week.