The 22nd annual Spring Pyongyang International Trade Fair (PITF) opened on Monday and included at least 216 Chinese companies, according to a count of a brochure distributed to guests at the event and seen by NK Pro.

The brochure, which included a three-page directory of what appears to be exclusively Chinese exhibitors, was notable for excluding joint ventures (J/Vs), companies from third countries, and those from North Korea.

Brochures in past years’ PITF events normally listed dozens of J/Vs – banned since early 2018 due to UN Security Council sanctions – as well as scores of companies