The variety of products exported from China to North Korea grew dramatically in July, increasing by nearly 150 products, according to new data from China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC). However, the increased product diversity also meant a cutdown in key staple foods.

In general, GAC data can be a useful economic indicator of how well various DPRK sectors are doing. The latest numbers continue to show that the volume and variety of Chinese exports have slowly risen every month since a COVID-19-induced trade crash took place in March 2020. At the time, dual border lockdowns caused