North Korea’s exports to China in August hit the highest level since the start of the pandemic, customs data shows, as bilateral trade continued to recover from the impact of a major COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year.

According to China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC), North Korea-China trade totaled $90.3 million in August, just shy of April’s high of $102.3 million. Imports from China amounted to $71.5 million, while exports reached $18.8 million. 

The monthly export figure is the DPRK’s highest since Feb. 2020, when exports crashed from tens of millions of dollars to just $267,000 as the country tightened