Donald Trump has moved to pull the US out of the Universal Postal Union, charging that the multilateral system that sets international mailing rates unfairly gives China a competitive edge and fuels the shipment of counterfeit goods and illicit drugs, senior White House officials said on Wednesday.

The move against the UPU marks the latest swipe by Mr Trump against the multilateral institution, which was established in the 19th century, and represents another strand in his administration’s economic conflict with Beijing.

The UPU sets shipping rates for international mail in a way that guarantees lower prices for shipments from developing economies and higher rates for those from advanced economies. This discrepancy has increasingly risen up the agenda of White House economic officials, particularly Peter Navarro, Mr Trump’s hawkish adviser on trade.