North Korea imports from China inched up to nearly $17 million in July, with exports more than doubling from the previous month, according to newly released Chinese customs data. But experts cautioned against reading too much into the increase due to the meager volume of bilateral trade during the pandemic.

PRC exports to North Korea rose to $16.8 million in July from $12.3 million in June, China’s General Administration of Customs reported this week. Chinese imports from the DPRK jumped 127% from June to July, climbing from $1.8 million to $4.1 million.

“That’s a rather large increase, although a