North Korea-China Trade Volume in April Increases by 234% Compared to Same Period Last Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] Due to the resumption of freight train operations between North Korea and China, trade volume between the two countries in April this year increased by 234% compared to the same period last year.

According to the April trade volume data by country released by the General Administration of Customs of China on the 18th, North Korea-China trade volume recorded $102.34 million (approximately 129.7 billion KRW), a 234% increase compared to $30.6 million (approximately 38.79 billion KRW) last year.

In April, North Korea's imports from China and exports to China were $98.1 million (approximately 12.44 billion KRW) and $4.25 million (approximately 539 million KRW), respectively, increasing by 241% and 130% compared to the same period last year.

This is believed to be due to the resumption of North Korea-China freight train operations on January 16, which had been suspended since August 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19 in China.

However, with the lockdown of Dandong due to the spread of COVID-19, freight train operations were again suspended on the 29th of last month, and from May, which reflects this impact, North Korea-China trade volume is expected to decrease again.

The cumulative trade volume from January to April this year was $299.24 million (approximately 379.4 billion KRW), a 522% increase compared to the same period last year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.