Chinese exports to North Korea surge in September

BEIJING (Reuters) -Chinese exports to North Korea soared in September from a year earlier, posting a two-digit increase after recording 2025's first on-year decline in August, customs data showed on Monday.

Shipments to North Korea reached $228.1 million last month, up 30.75% year-on-year, data from China's General Administration of Customs showed. Exports grew 54.53% on a month-to-month basis.

Top Chinese exports to the isolated country in September included soybean oil, processed hair and wool for wig-making, petroleum bitumen and granulated sugar.

China remains North Korea's largest trading partner and a vital economic lifeline for the isolated state, which is subject to international sanctions for its nuclear weapons programme.

The Asian neighbours have ramped up diplomatic engagements following North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's trip to Beijing in September for a military parade and his first formal meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in six years.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, who accompanied Kim, made a second visit to the Chinese capital later that month and met with China's top diplomat Wang Yi.

Days later, China's Premier Li Qiang travelled to Pyongyang for events marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party.

In a congratulatory message to Kim, Xi pledged to strengthen strategic communication and deepen practical cooperation to advance bilateral ties, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.

(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

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