According to Kyodo:
China’s exports to North Korea in the first half of 2013 fell for the first time in four years, customs data showed Monday, a sign that Beijing might have increased pressure on Pyongyang over its continued nuclear weapons program.
During the January-June period, China’s exports to North Korea shrank 13.6 percent from a year earlier to $1.59 billion, mainly due to a drop in crude oil shipments, according to the data released by the General Administration of Customs.
China’s exports of crude oil to North Korea in terms of volume and value declined 14.2 percent to 250,000 tons and 20.2 percent to $270 million, while North Korea’s overall exports to its main economic and diplomatic benefactor rose 5.3 percent to $1.37 billion, the data said.
The last time that China’s exports to North Korea fell in the first six months, as well as for the full year, was in 2009, when global trade slumped in the wake of the surprise collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.
China has been urged by many countries to exercise more influence on North Korea, particularly after Pyongyang went ahead with its third nuclear test in February in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
See also Voice of America here.
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China’s exports to N. Korea fall for 1st time in 4 years
Kyodo
2013-7-29
