Following North Korea’s nuclear test this week, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement that the Chinese government “is firmly opposed” to the test and that “China always supports the denuclearization of the Peninsula,” actively criticizing the actions of Pyongyang in more stronger terms than usual.

The test led some Chinese analysts, and more than a few Weibo (Chinese Twitter) users, to call for China to seriously reevaluate its North Korea policy. But trade figures reported by Japanese news service Kyodolast week reveal why China may be reluctant to do so. Despite crippling sanctions related