North Korean exports to China reached their highest levels in over five years last month, customs data shows, the latest sign that border controls may be rolling back after over three years of pandemic-related restrictions.

Overall trade between the DPRK and China rose for the second-straight month in April, buoyed by $165.8 million worth of imports from and $34.2 million in exports to China last month, according to Beijing’s General Administration of Customs (GAC).

This represents not just an eightfold increase in exports compared to April 2022, but also the highest export figures since Pyongyang supplied $47.1 million worth of