North Korea’s trade with China jumped 32% year-on-year in July to $205.2 million, new customs data shows, maintaining double-digit growth throughout this year amid signs of improvement in both bilateral relations and cross-border commerce. 

The total trade volume last month was the second-lowest of the year after the $121.8 million worth of trade in February, a month that typically sees depressed volumes due to the Lunar New Year holiday, according to NK News analysis of official data from China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) released Monday.

Nevertheless, both imports and exports saw significant on-year growth in July.

Trade from