North Korean trade with China slumped in October after reaching a six-year high the month prior, with Beijing’s official statistics showing the DPRK’s exports fell to the lowest level of the year.

Bilateral commercial exchanges contracted to just above $227 million last month from over $271 million in September, when Pyongyang’s trade with Beijing was the highest since Dec. 2019, according to data published by China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Tuesday.

Both imports and exports saw a rapid decrease from September but remained above Oct. 2024 levels. 

North Korea’s inbound deliveries slid to $198 million from $228 million