China-N.Korea Trade Plunges in December

Trade between China and North Korea dropped by more than half last month compared to the same period of 2016.

The White House on Friday praised the development, which it said "supports the United States-led global effort to apply maximum pressure until the North Korean regime ends its illicit programs, changes its behavior, and moves toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

According to Chinese customs, trade volume with North Korea fell 51 percent in December. China's exports to North Korea dropped 23 percent on-year to US$54.3 million, while its imports from North Korea plummeted a whopping 81.6 percent to $260 million.

That was the lowest figure since January 2014 and appears to reflect the impact of sanctions. Total trade volume last year between the two countries shrank 10.5 percent to US$5 billion.

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