Chinese imports of North Korea anthracite – the DPRK’s primary coal export – were valued at just under $100 million in February, recently released data from the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) shows.

In return, China received over 1.2 million tonnes of DPRK anthracite, a 15 percent decrease compared to January’s trade.

The export volumes were well below 2016 monthly numbers, which on one occasion were double last month’s imports, though the $97 million figure also implies an increase in North’s prices. In the same month last year for example, the DPRK received $67 million for 1.5 million tonnes of