China-N. Korea trade in 2022 recovers to 37% of pre-pandemic levels

China’s trade with North Korea in 2022 recovered to roughly 37 percent of the pre-pandemic levels of 2019, government data showed Wednesday, with a freight train operation resumed between border cities despite the North keeping its borders shut to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

In 2022, the total value of China’s trade with North Korea jumped 3.2-fold from the previous year to $1,027.72 million.

In 2021, bilateral trade had plummeted around 90 percent from 2019 to the lowest level since Kim Jong Un became the nation’s supreme leader following the death of his father and predecessor, Kim J...