North Korea’s bilateral trade with China reached a nearly four-year high in September on the back of growing imports from the country’s largest economic partner.

Official data released by China’s General Administration of Customs shows that the DPRK’s total trade volume reached $216.53 million in September, surpassing $191.1 million the previous month and the previous pandemic-era high of $206.2 million in Jan. 2023.

North Korea’s exports slumped slightly from $28.2 million in August to $27.8 million last month, after hitting a five-year high of $34.2 million in April.

But the DPRK’s imports from China jumped from $162.9 million in August