![Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on Sept. 4, in this photo released by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency. [KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY]](https://www.koreadailyus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/1219-Kim-Xi.jpg)
BEIJING — North Korea’s trade with China rose to its highest level in six years in November, according to Chinese customs data released on December 18, a sign of closer ties after a rare summit between their leaders earlier this year.
Bilateral trade totaled $281 million in November, the data from China’s General Administration of Customs showed. It was the highest monthly figure since October 2019.
The rebound followed a meeting in September between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on the sidelines of events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. It was the first summit between the two leaders in six years.
North Korea’s exports to China amounted to $37.1 million in November, down from about $63.6 million in September, while Chinese exports to North Korea climbed to $244 million, driving the overall increase.
Bilateral trade reached $271 million in September but fell to $227 million in October before rising sharply in November, the data showed.
NK News, a U.S.-based media outlet focused on North Korea, reported that China has shipped various types of machinery to the North in recent months. It also reported that used vehicles from China, seized due to unpaid collateral loans, have also been sent to North Korea.
Chinese customs authorities did not release details on the traded items, but analysts suspect some shipments may have included goods prohibited under United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Smuggling activity not captured in official statistics has also increased, according to some analysts, with traders using temporary bridges across the Yalu River along the North Korea–China border to bypass formal customs procedures.
NK News previously reported that at least 32 temporary crossings operate along a roughly 98-kilometer (61-mile) stretch of the border where Baishan in China’s Jilin Province faces North Korea’s Ryanggang Province. The routes have facilitated the transfer of trucks and precision machinery subject to international sanctions, the outlet said.
It added that illicit trade has expanded into sensitive areas, including drone assembly lines, computers and graphics cards.
BY LEE DO-SUNG [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]
