North Korea’s trade with China dipped at the start of the second half of the year as its imports continued falling for a third consecutive month, while exports nudged up and reversed a downward trend.

Pyongyang’s commercial exchanges with Beijing dropped to $229.4 million in July from nearly $252 million in June, continuing a three-month downward slide, new data released by China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed on Tuesday.

While July’s volume remained above last year’s level, it neared the $229 million and $230 million recorded in June and July 2025, respectively.

The downward trend was also visible in