North Korea turns to China for printing and packaging technology
North Korea is working to acquire printing equipment and packaging technology from China. Authorities want to improve the quality of product packaging, labels and...
North Korea sends new wave of workers to China as surveillance tightens
North Korean workers are once again filling factory floors in China, as large numbers of new arrivals replace those who returned home over the...
Cheap North Korean coal keeps flowing into China despite U.N. ban
North Korea's mineral exports to China have recently increased, as Beijing appears to be enforcing sanctions on the North less strictly amid warming ties...
North Korea foreign trade shifts to state control
North Korea is overhauling its foreign trade system to route transactions only through official state trade organizations this year. Authorities have banned individual traders...
North Korea garment factories draw women with pay, perks
Growing garment subcontracting trade between North Korea and China is pulling young women into export garment factories in cities including Sinuiju, Nampo and Pyongyang...
North Korea shifts from raw material to processed goods exports
North Korea is shifting its foreign currency strategy in 2026, with trading units moving away from raw material exports to China and turning instead...
North Korea orders top-level border vigilance amid China blood alliance push
The Chinese Embassy in North Korea held a banquet on July 28, 2026. The event marked the 99th anniversary of the founding of the...
North Korea sends 10,000 workers to China in a month
North Korea has sharply ramped up the number of new workers it is sending to China this summer, with roughly 10,000 laborers crossing the...
China quietly eases customs rules for North Korea
China has temporarily eased customs rules for equipment and materials bound for North Korea's civilian economy. The move, which could reshape China-North Korea trade...
North Korea orders cabinet: take China’s cash, not its culture
North Korea has issued a new China directive to cabinet officials, ordering them to separate economic gains from ideological control even as Pyongyang seeks...
