A spokesperson for China’s customs agency on Thursday said that first quarter trade with North Korea had increased when compared to last year, despite a ban on North Korean coal.

Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, General Administration of Customs (GAC) spokesperson Huang Songping said that China imported 2.7 million tonnes of North Korean coal in Q1, before the country suspended imports of the DPRK’s most valuable export for the remainder of 2017.

But a Reuters reportpublished on the same day showed the value of trade with North Korea still increased, despite lower coal imports when compared to the