North Korea’s trade with China sees H1 jump despite monthly slump: data



Analysis North Korea’s trade with China sees H1 jump despite monthly slump: data Pyongyang and Beijing continued sanctioned trade amid growing exchanges of fabrics, human hair and other usual drivers Anton Sokolin July 20, 2026 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON A Chinese cargo truck parked on the North Korean side of the border in the center of the Hyesan-Changbai bridge \| Image: Weibo (Oct. 10, 2024) North Korea saw its monthly trade with China dip in June, Beijing government data showed Monday, while showing an on-year uptick in volume in the first half of 2026. Nearly $252 million worth of goods were turned over by the two countries last month, with Pyongyang’s exports and imports standing at $37 million and $215 million, respectively, according to China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC). (function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r Read More © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01Likely Russian ship docks in North Korea’s Rason port for first time since May 02Trump doesn’t need a grand deal with Kim, but rather small coordinated actions 03North Korean trade with China rises 3.7% in August thanks to wig exports: data 04North Korea tensions expose Seoul’s uneasy relationship with UN Command 05North Korea’s politburo meeting hints at secret changes to senior officials 06The bureaucracy test: Signs to look for before a Trump-Kim summit 07China has reasons to like Trump’s North Korea outreach — and reasons to worry 08North Korea’s old alliance with Tanzania quietly finds new life

Analysis

North Korea’s trade with China sees H1 jump despite monthly slump: data

Pyongyang and Beijing continued sanctioned trade amid growing exchanges of fabrics, human hair and other usual drivers

Anton Sokolin July 20, 2026

North Korea’s trade with China sees H1 jump despite monthly slump: data

A Chinese cargo truck parked on the North Korean side of the border in the center of the Hyesan-Changbai bridge | Image: Weibo (Oct. 10, 2024)

North Korea saw its monthly trade with China dip in June, Beijing government data showed Monday, while showing an on-year uptick in volume in the first half of 2026.

Nearly $252 million worth of goods were turned over by the two countries last month, with Pyongyang’s exports and imports standing at $37 million and $215 million, respectively, according to China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC).

(function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r

North Korea’s trade with China sees H1 jump despite monthly slump: data

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Anton Sokolin