North Korea spent twice as much importing Chinese goods in 2017 as it received from exporting its own commodities to its neighbor, according to figures from the Korea International Trade Association (KITA).

The numbers – taken from statistics provided by China’s General Administration of Customs – paint a bleak picture for the DPRK’s balance of trade, which fell into a USD$1.2 billion deficit.

Overall, the DPRK spent over USD$3.3 billion on Chinese imports in 2017, an increase over the previous year and the highest since 2014. But exports to China plummeted to USD$1.6 billion over the last twelve