North Korean Economy Watch

By Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein

Here’s a roundup of the September 2017 China-North Korea trade numbers, from various sources. Not surprisingly, most indicators are down. Still, China is letting North Korea import even while exports have been drastically decreased in most goods. A sign of confidence that they will get the money back in future exports from North Korea, perhaps?

Washington Post:

On Friday, China’s General Administration of Customs announced that China’s imports from North Korea fell 37.9 percent in September, the seventh successive monthly decline. China’s exports to North Korea dropped a more modest 6.7 percent in September, Huang Songping, spokesman for the customs department, said at a news conference.

Although there is room for considerable skepticism about official Chinese data — and the numbers can swing wildly month to month — there is reason to believe that there has been a recent slowdown in trade, experts say.

Chinese traders in the border city of Dandong told The Washington Post this month that they were feeling the effect of the sanctions, which were being imposed with unprecedented determination by the authorities.

[…]

North Korea’s deficit with China more than tripled in the first nine months of the year from the same period in 2016, to $1.07 billion, Huang told a news conference, according to Bloomberg News.

Full article:

• [R]ice exports to N.Korea [down] 85.1% y/y at 2,396t
• Sept corn exports to N.Korea [up] from year earlier, at 1,160t
• China imports of N.Korea lead ore 84% y/y
• China imports of iron ore [down] 98% y/y
• China imports of N.Korea coal [down]  71.6% y/y

Some of these numbers can also be found reported by Reuters here.

NK News also reported on the numbers:

According to Chinese customs data collated by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), China’s main exports to the DPRK mainly consist of various kinds of electrical items and machinery.

North Korea spent USD$52 million on importing Chinese electronics and machines in August, trade categories which include items like cell phones and computers.

The DPRK spent a further USD$23 million on importing vehicles from China. While some luxury vehicle exports would breach UN sanctions, the data indicates the majority of the imports consist of electric motorcycles and vehicles used for public transport or construction.

Yet China’s most recent trade figures continue to show that despite its falling income from trade, North Korea has managed to increase its spending on Chinese goods, pushing its balance of trade further into the red.

Without its coal revenues, North Korea has spent double its monthly trade earnings several times throughout 2017, and it’s unclear how long the country will be able to maintain the deficit.

Full article here:
Chinese FM defends growing trade with North Korea
Leo Byrne
NK News
2017-10-24

All in all, drops are pretty dire. Which, of course, also serves China’s geopolitical interests at this time. That’s not to say the numbers can’t be right, only that usual skepticism is warranted.

By Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein

The July numbers for China-North Korea trade are out. Reuters:

The world’s second-largest economy imported and exported goods worth $456 million in July, down from $489 million in June, according to data from China’s General Administration of Customs.

It was up from $426 million in July last year, according to data on the customs website.

Year-to-date, trade was up 10.2 percent at $3.01 billion.

The data indicates that China’s move to halt North Korean coal imports in February has crimped Pyongyang’s ability to raise hard currency through exports.

Iron ore arrivals from North Korea in July also sank to their weakest since February, while China’s gasoline exports to the isolated state hit their lowest since January 2016.

China’s imports from North Korea were $156 million, down 3 percent from last month and a third lower than a year ago, based on data on the customs website. For January-July, imports were $1.04 billion, down 16.3 percent.

Exports were $300 million, down from $327 million in June, but up from $194 million in July last year. Year-to-date, they were up a third at $1.97 billion.

On Aug. 6, the United Nations Security Council unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea banning exports of coal, iron, iron ore, lead, lead ore and seafood, in a bid to choke off a third of Pyongyang’s $3 billion in annual export revenue.

The crackdown on major commodity exports was aimed as punishment for intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests in July and is due to take effect in early September.

Last week, Beijing issued an official ban on the imports effective from Aug. 15 as it moved to implement the sanctions.

Sources told Reuters China was also pressuring its iron ore traders to stop buying the commodity from North Korea, tightening the screws on Pyongyang even before sanctions.

The data also comes after state-owned China National Petroleum Corp suspended sales of fuel to North Korea in June over concerns it wouldn’t get paid, cutting off crucial supplies. The suspension is still in place.

Full article:
China July trade with North Korea slows from June as coal ban bites
Josephine Mason
Reuters
2017-08-23

And here:

* July gasoline exports down 97 pct vs year ago
    * Just 120 tonnes shipped to North Korea in July
    * CNPC stopped sales over payment fears - sources
    * Iron ore imports in July lowest since Feb

 (Recasts to lead with gasoline, adds details, changes slug)
    By Chen Aizhu
    BEIJING, Aug 23 (Reuters) - China's gasoline exports to
North Korea evaporated to a dribble in July, according to
customs data, the strongest sign yet that the suspension of
sales of the fuel by state oil major CNPC has cut critical
supplies to its isolated neighbour.
    Beijing's General Administration of Customs said on
Wednesday Chinese shipments of gasoline dropped 97 percent from
a year ago to just 120 tonnes of the fuel - worth little more
than $100,000. The number was down from 8,262 tonnes in June.
    Monthly fluctuations in the data are not unusual, but this
was the fourth-lowest volume on Reuters' records of customs data
going back to January 2010.
    Customs data also showed China's trade with North Korea fell
last month as a ban on coal purchases from its isolated
neighbour slowed imports amid growing pressure from the United
States to rein in Pyongyang's missile programme.
    A prolonged supply cut would threaten critical supplies of
fuel and could force North Korea to find alternatives to its
main supplier amid international pressure on Pyongyang to curb
its nuclear and missile programmes. 
    At the end of June, Reuters reported China National
Petroleum Corp (CNPC) suspended sales of gasoline and fuel to
North Korea over concerns CNPC would not get paid for its goods.
Fuel prices in the country surged following the cut and the
measure is still in place, people familiar with the matter say.
 
    "This confirms that CNPC has truly stopped supplies," said
one Beijing-based trading source familiar with China's oil
transactions with North Korea. "The amount is so small, it's
what would typically be lost during transportation."    
    Gasoline typically accounts for the bulk of fuel exports to
North Korea, but July data showed the biofuel, ethanol, took the
top spot with shipments of 4,137 cubic metres, worth $1.9
million.
    Meanwhile China's iron ore imports from North Korea fell
sharply in July, the month before the United Nations passed a
vote to impose tougher sanctions on Pyongyang. The United
Nations Security Council unanimously imposed new sanctions on
North Korea targeting its exports of coal, iron ore, lead, lead
ore and seafood in sanctions to take effect in early September.
    Arrivals of iron ore fell 24.5 percent in July from the same
month a year earlier to 175,980 tonnes. That's down 21 percent
from June and the lowest since February, according to customs'
records.
    Beijing had pressed traders to stop buying from the country
even before the United Nations Security Council vote on further
sanctions to rein in Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programme,
a sign of China tightening the screws on Pyongyang.
    In July, China bought no coal from North Korea, the fifth
month after Beijing halted coal shipments in February. 
    The table below gives a breakdown of imports and exports of
major commodities between the two nations:
        
                July      June 2017  yr-on-yr  Jan-July   % change
                2017                 % change  2017       
 Imports                                                  
 Coal           0         0          -         2,678,131  -78.6
 Iron ore       175,980   224,059    -24.5     1,510,761  41.7
 lead ore &     13,090    13,218     29.1      77,407     45.15
 concentrates                                             
 Exports                                                  
 Ethanol        4,137     4,126      509       19,734     319.7
 Gasoline       120       8,262      -96.5     45,889     -8.8
 Diesel         1,162     367        11,515    10,847     -64
 Jet fuel       153       140        278.6     1,103      47.4
 Other fuel     596       298        -97.2     19,250     -65.26
 oil                                                      
 Fuel No. 5-7   275       844        -41.4     3,953      -8.9
 LPG            79        107        302.8     553        75.4
 In tonnes except for ethanol in cubic metres

Full article:

China July gasoline exports to North Korea almost wiped out -customs
Josephine Mason
Reuters
2017-08-23

A few thoughts on this:

First, overall trade is up between the countries from the same month one year ago, by ten percent. The North Korean economy may be under pressure from China at the moment, but it is not isolated. Moreover, Chinese imports are down by one third but one has to wonder why China would let North Korea run a trade deficit if it weren’t expecting compensation in the future by more imports.

Second, gasoline exports to North Korea are down by 97. This number strikes me as almost conspicuously high and reminiscent of Saddam Hussein’s electoral victory figures (in North Korea, the united front controlled by the Worker’s Party always gets a full 100% of the votes). China has a strong interest at the moment in making it seem like it is being tough on North Korea and a figure like 97 percent certainly makes for good optics. Diesel and petrol prices have remained relatively consistent in Pyongyang through the spring and summer, not changing in July, but it is only now that Chinese customs are reporting a 97 percent drop.

Third and relatedly, we don’t know what (if anything) has happened with the crude oil deliveries, which to my knowledge is largely a form of donation from China to North Korea of some 520,000 tonnes per year. This is roughly twice the quantity of the diesel exports from China to North Korea per year, though these amounts are difficult to compare. It is easy to imagine a scenario where these increase to offset the losses from the lowered gasoline exports.  And of course there’s the smuggling. Meanwhile, diesel exports actually rose over the past month.

Fourth, to really get a grasp of trading figures, I would argue it is necessary to look at full years. Surely there are ways to, for example, date contracts in order to make it look like deliveries and receptions of goods reach certain levels at certain times, or by simply postponing some exports and imports to a later date. Perhaps we will see trading figures later on after the bluster has really settled that compensate for shortfalls at this moment.

Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein

‘Tis the season yet again for Chinese customs data. Imports are down, but exports are up even more. Reuters:

China’s trade with isolated North Korea rose more than 10 percent in the January-June period from a year earlier, a Chinese official said on Thursday, amid pressure from the United States for Beijing to pressurize its troublesome neighbor.

Last week U.S. President Donald Trump denounced China’s trade with North Korea, saying it had grown almost 40 percent in the first quarter, and cast doubt on whether Beijing was helping to counter the threat from North Korea.

China has repeatedly said it is fully enforcing United Nations sanctions on nuclear-armed North Korea and there is nothing wrong with what it terms “normal” trade with Pyongyang, referring to areas not covered by sanctions.

Chinese customs spokesman Huang Songping told a briefing on China’s overall trade figures that total trade with North Korea expanded by 10.5 percent to $2.55 billion in the first six months of the year.

While China’s imports from North Korea dropped 13.2 percent to $880 million in the period from January to June, exports to North Korea rose 29.1 percent to $1.67 billion, he said.

The exports were largely driven by textile products and other traditional labor-intensive goods not included on the United Nations embargo list, Huang added.

“As neighbors, China and North Korea maintain normal business and trade exchanges,” he said, adding that goods for ordinary people and those used for humanitarian reasons are not subject to sanctions.

Overall trade growth with North Korea slowed in June, compared with previous second-quarter months.

Trade in dollar terms with North Korea rose about 12 percent in June from a month earlier to $499 million, according to Reuters calculations based on previously released data.

The calculations do not reflect revisions to earlier figures that may not have been announced.

In May, trade with North Korea gained 14.5 percent from April to $443.5 million, previously released customs data show.

Numbers showing an increase are not evidence that China is failing to enforce U.N. resolutions, with imports from North Korea falling every month since March, Huang added.

China suspended imports of North Korean coal in February, while imports of iron ore accord with relevant U.N. resolutions, he said.

“China customs have all along fully, accurately, conscientiously and strictly enforced relevant Security Council resolutions.”

Full article:
China trade with sanctions-struck North Korea up 10.5 percent in first half
Fang Cheng and Ben Blanchard
Reuters
2017-07-13

As Washington Post reports (citing Kent Boydston’s data), this makes for one massive trade deficit for North Korea. Something seems to be odd with the data, which itself isn’t that odd in this context. A Chinese spokesperson explained the trend as follows:

Monthly figures were more representative of the trend, he said, and China?s imports from North Korea had been ?falling sharply for four consecutive months since March,? including by 36?percent in March and 42?percent in April.

?The trade growth between China and North Korea in the first half of the year was mainly driven by exports,? Huang said, adding that the exports were mainly labor-intensive products such as textiles, which are not banned under U.N. resolutions.

Letting North Korea run a trade deficit of this magnitude sure would be awfully selfless of China, unless North Korea is somehow borrowing to make up for it, which seems highly unlikely.

Wall Street Journal?also reported the trade data:

The rise in trade was driven by a 29.1% increase in exports from a year earlier, while imports fell 13.2%, said Huang Songping, spokesman for the General Administration of Customs, at a briefing Thursday. He said China was abiding by U.N. sanctions ?comprehensively, carefully, accurately and seriously? and that the first-half data doesn?t reflect Beijing?s current stance on its neighbor.

He said imports from North Korea have fallen for the past four months and all coal imports were made in the first two months of the year, before?China suspended coal purchases from Pyongyang. He said coal imports were down 74.5% for the full first half from a year earlier.

Goods exported to North Korea were largely items such as textile products not covered by sanctions, Mr. Huang said.

China is by far North Korea?s biggest trading partner, accounting for more than 80% of the hermit state?s external trade for the past five years. After?North Korea?s successful launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile?on July 4, U.S. President Donald Trump in a tweet cited a rise in China?s trade with Pyongyang in the first quarter,?questioning Beijing?s willingness to ratchet up pressure on its neighbor.

The U.S. has since stepped up its rhetoric, moving toward unilaterally tightening sanctions, targeting?Chinese companies?and?banks?the U.S. says are funneling cash into Pyongyang?s weapons program.

Beijing has resisted suggestions it isn?t doing enough to pressure North Korea, countering that Washington must directly engage Pyongyang to dissuade its nuclear ambitions. China backed tougher U.N. sanctions last year on North Korea?s coal exports, while ensuring an exemption for ?humanitarian? needs. Chinese officials say the February?suspension of imports of North Korean coal?for the rest of this year was part of efforts to enforce those sanctions.

China?s Foreign Ministry says Beijing has played an ?indispensable? role in trying to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. On Thursday, a ministry spokesman said Chinese imports of iron ore in the first half were allowed under the U.N. sanctions as they are for ?civilian use? and generate no income for North Korea?s nuclear-weapons program.

The data on the customs agency?s website didn?t break out iron-ore imports from North Korea in the first half.

China?s imports of the steelmaking material from all countries jumped 16% from a year earlier in June and rose 9.4% for the first half, customs data showed, as a lasting property boom has spurred demand from the construction sector.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, also reaffirmed Beijing?s commitment to the U.N. sanctions. ?China is implementing the [North Korea]-related resolutions in a full and strict manner,? he said.

In the first quarter, total trade between China and North Korea grew 29.2% from a year earlier, according to Chinese customs data. Both the first-quarter and first-half increases were in dollar terms.

Full article:
China Defends Its Growing Trade With Sanctioned North Korea
Liyan Qi and Chun Han Wong
Wall Street Journal
2017-07-13