Emergency talks are being held at the UN this week over threats from the US to withdraw from a 145-year-old postal treaty.
The agreement sets rates for sending packages between 192 countries.
But the US says discounted prices for countries like China are putting its businesses at a massive disadvantage.
It says it will pull out of the agreement next month unless the specialised body, the Universal Postal Union (UPU), reaches a deal this week.
Should this happen, the US will become the first country ever to withdraw, and it’s unclear what impact this will have on international trade and commerce.
“It is really a nightmare scenario,” UPU secretary-general, Bishar Hussein, told a news conference on Tuesday.
International mailing rates are governed by the UPU, a unit of the United Nations that traces its roots back to 1874.
The current deal is signed by 192 countries and sets the cost of delivery between the postal operator of the origin country and the postal operator of the destination country.
Via Xinhua/BBC/The Guardian
