Space Travel News
NUKEWARS
China-North Korea trade recovers to near pre-pandemic levels

China-North Korea trade recovers to near pre-pandemic levels

by AFP Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) Jan 20, 2026

China's trade with North Korea surged to near pre-pandemic levels last year, Beijing customs data showed, spurred by rising imports from China.

Trade between the two countries rose 25.4 percent year-on-year, according to the General Administration of Customs, totalling $2.73 billion -- the highest since 2019.

China is North Korea's largest trading partner and a vital source of diplomatic, economic and political support for the isolated nuclear state.

Chinese people used to make up the bulk of foreign tourists and business visitors to North Korea before it sealed its borders in early 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Trade between China and North Korea slumped during those years, but gradually picked up from 2022.

North Korea imported $257.4 million worth of goods from China in December, up from nearly $243.6 million the previous month, data released Sunday showed.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told China's President Xi Jinping in September that it was his "steadfast will" to "steadily develop" bilateral relations.

Kim made the comments during a rare foreign visit to Beijing, his most important ally, which saw him join Russia's Vladimir Putin alongside Xi at a massive military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Xi told Kim then that the two countries should strengthen coordination on international affairs and "safeguard their common interests", Chinese state media reported.

Kim also hailed "friendly and cooperative" ties with China in October as he hosted Premier Li Qiang and other foreign dignitaries for celebrations marking 80 years of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party.

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
NUKEWARS
North Korea's Kim sacks senior official, slams 'incompetence'
Seoul (AFP) Jan 20, 2026
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has fired a senior official tasked with economic policy and condemned "incompetent" apparatchiks for delays in the opening of an important factory, state media said Tuesday. Nuclear-armed North Korea, which is under multiple sets of sanctions over its weapons programmes, has long struggled with its moribund state-managed economy and chronic food shortages. Touring the opening of an industrial machinery complex on Monday, Kim blasted officials who he blamed for del ... read more

NUKEWARS
NUKEWARS
Ancient deltas reveal vast Martian ocean across northern hemisphere

Tiny Mars' big impact on Earth's climate

The electrifying science behind Martian dust

Sandblasting winds sculpt Mars landscape

NUKEWARS
Ancient impact may explain moons contrasting sides

Lunar spacecraft exhaust could obscure clues to origins of life

Chinese astronauts hone extreme cave survival skills

Danish Mani mission to chart lunar terrain in 3D

NUKEWARS
Jupiter's moon Europa has a seafloor that may be quiet and lifeless

Uranus and Neptune may be rock rich worlds

SwRI links Uranus radiation belt mystery to solar storm driven waves

Looking inside icy moons

NUKEWARS
Frozen hydrogen cyanide crystals may have helped spark early chemistry for life

Berkeley Scientists set to home in on 100 signals from Seti at Home

Scientist wins 'Environment Nobel' for shedding light on hidden fungal networks

Pandora exoplanet mission checks in after launch

NUKEWARS
Major equity deal backs Gilmour Space expansion of sovereign launch capability

Stratolaunch secures major funding to scale hypersonic flight services

GE and Lockheed validate compact rotating detonation ramjet for hypersonic missiles

China tests Long March 12B reusable first stage at Jiuquan

NUKEWARS
Tiangong science program delivers data surge

China tallies record launch year as lunar and asteroid plans advance

China harnesses nationwide system to drive spaceflight and satellite navigation advances

Shenzhou 21 crew complete eight hour spacewalk outside Tiangong station

NUKEWARS
Asteroid metals harden under extreme particle blasts

Iron rich asteroids show surprising resilience in impact simulation study

NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory spots record-breaking asteroid in pre-survey observations

Micro X ray method reads ancient meteorite impact scars

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.