China’s March Exports to North Korea 400 Times That of January-February Combined

A man waits for a taxi as news footage of Chinese leader Xi Jinping (R) being greeted in Pyongyang by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is shown on a large screen behind him outside a shopping mall in Beijing, China, on June 20, 2019. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images

China’s exports to North Korea reached a six-month high in March, over 398 times the total of the previous two months, China’s General Administration of Customs reported on April 18.

China has been North Korea’s largest exporter and importer. The sharp increase in Chinese exports has caught people’s attention, with some saying it might be a sign of Pyongyang easing border restrictions that were imposed early last year due to COVID-19 while Kim Jong Un’s regime claimed to have zero infections.