BEIJING, March 20 (Reuters) – China's overall exports to North Korea more than doubled in the first two months of 2023 from a year earlier, with major exports including granulated sugar, soybean oil and rice, Chinese customs data showed on Monday.
Chinese outbound shipments to the isolated country surged 161.5% year-on-year to $300.5 million in January-February, data released by China's General Administration of Customs showed.
The top export items in terms of value were granulated sugar, wool for wig production, soybean oil, rice, and rubber tyres.
South Korea's DongA Ilbo newspaper reported in mid-February that North Korean food crisis may have deteriorated as the country has cut rations to its soldiers for the first time in more than two decades.
In recent decades, North Korea has suffered serious food shortages, including a famine in the 1990s, often as a result of natural disasters such as floods damaging harvests.
Pyongyang in January outlined plans to normalise industrial production, aiming to make 2023 "a year of great turn and change in the course of development".
Even as it hailed the successful tackling of the COVID-19 outbreak last year, Pyongyang bought 13.57 million masks from China in the first two months, up 214.8% year-on-year, the Chinese customs data showed.
It also imported 94,390 thermometers and 60,500 pairs of medical rubber gloves from China.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Manchester United's Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial secured a well-earned 2-0 victory over Everton as the hosts climbed above Newcastle United into provisional third spot in the Premier League on Saturday.
Al-Hilal's faltering bid to retain their Saudi Pro League title has suffered another blow with a 3-0 defeat at third-placed Riyadh rivals Al-Shabab with Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, battling it out for the championship.
Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.
Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology.
The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs.
The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals.
Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile.
Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts.
Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks.
All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.
© 2023 Reuters. All rights reserved