According to Reuters, as North Korea stepped up its efforts to combat a potential COVID-19 crisis, its exports from China increased at a slower rate in September than those of masks and other COVID-related goods, based on customs data.
China exported 10.56 million masks to North Korea in September, up from 210 in August. In September, 40,000 pairs of rubber gloves were shipped to North Korea, compared to none in August.
In August, Pyongyang claimed victory over COVID, and public health professionals now advise people to wear facial protection to prevent the virus’s potential resurgence. North Korea’s apparent lack of the resources to conduct widespread testing deterred it from confirming the number of COVID-infected people. Meanwhile, after a five-month suspension to contain the spread of COVID-19, China announced in late September that cross-border freight train operations between the two East Asian countries had resumed.
In September, Pyongyang spent US$280,000 on two million thermometers while making no purchases in July and August. Following a 217.7% increase in August, China’s total exports to North Korea increased 62.5% year over year to over US$90 million.