North Korean exports to China have slowly but surely risen after a crash caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with June being the best month in 2020 yet, according to data from China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC).

Official Chinese trade data suggests that North Korea exported $9.1 million worth of products over the border in June — just under half of what the DPRK might have cleared in pre-pandemic times. It’s likely welcome news for an economy reeling from shortages of many goods and of foreign currency.

The rise in North Korean exports to China coincides