North Korea’s trade with China jumped in March from the previous month but failed to match last year’s highs, with bilateral exchange slumping on-year in the first quarter of 2024.

Total trade volume between the DPRK and its largest commercial partner reached $158.1 million last month, leaping from $121 million in February but remaining below $190 million in January, new data released by China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed.

The figure also stayed shy of the $158.5 million recorded in the same month last year. Overall trade in the first quarter amounted to $469.3 million, failing to outpace