North Korea’s trade with China surged to its highest monthly level in more than eight years in April, official data showed, with an expert attributing the growth to Pyongyang capitalizing on China’s lax sanctions enforcement and battle-earned cash from Russia.

Bilateral exchanges nearly reached $326 million last month, up from $244 million in March and $310 million in December, marking the highest level since Nov. 2017, when China and the DPRK exchanged nearly $366 million worth of goods, according to Beijing’s General Administration of Customs (GAC).

The sharp uptick was driven primarily by North Korea’s imports from China, which