Despite a downturn in bilateral trade in recent years due to international sanctions, Chinese companies have continued to appear at various new and existing trade exhibitions in North Korea this year, including two that started on Monday.

The two running this week are the 2nd annual Pyongyang International Exhibition of Green Building Materials and Furniture, and the 3rd annual but newly-named DPRK-China Sci-Tech Exhibition in the Health and Sports Field.

The green materials event sees the participation of “over 50 companies of different countries including the DPRK and China,” Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Monday. 

It is being