Chinese imports of North Korean commodities halved in December compared to the previous month, according to recently released data from China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC).

The final month of the year saw China import USD$54.68 million worth of commodities from North Korea, roughly half of the previous month’s USD$100 million. 

Exports of commodities to the North by the PRC also fell, from USD$287.84 in November to USD$257.73 million in December.

“There are still other economic exchanges between China and the North,” Lee Yong-hwa, a researcher at the Hyundai Research Institute, told NK News, saying that “unofficial trade” likely continued.