no to the total reopening of the borders

North Korea maintains that it managed to contain the pandemic, but the Chinese do not trust its guarantees. The Dandong-Sinuiju railway, through which 70% of trade between the two countries normally passes, remains closed. Chinese citizens caught trading with North Koreans will be fined up to 43,000 euros.

Beijing () – The Chinese government does not support the requests of the Kim Jong-un regime and refuses to reopen the border to land trade between the Chinese provinces of Jilin and Liaoning and North Korea. China continues to be threatened by the Covid-19 outbreaks and its fear is that the situation could worsen if contacts with the North Koreans multiply.

Pyongyang maintains that it has managed to control the emergency unleashed in May by the pandemic. However, the Beijing authorities do not trust the assurances of the North Koreans, even as Kim has imposed draconian measures, following the Chinese model to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

North Korea is isolated internationally, save for China and to some extent Russia. The country has suffered for years from the effects of punitive measures promoted by the UN Security Council, as a result of North Korea’s nuclear and missile development programme. The chronic economic crisis plaguing the country has been aggravated by the recent wave of Covid-19 infections and a series of floods.

90% of North Korean trade depends on exchanges with China. According to Chinese customs data, in the first six months of the year, bilateral trade (imports and exports) fell, reaching 333 million euros. The figure represents a drop of 73% compared to the same period in 2019 – before the pandemic.

Under normal conditions, 70% of the trade between the two countries is carried out through the railway that connects Dandong (China) and Sinuiju. Asian Nikkei reveals that Pyongyang requested the reopening of the route, but was denied by China. To prevent the spread of Covid from China, North Korea had first cut off service in January 2020; in January of this year it was reactivated, to later suspend it again in April.

Currently, the only open passage for Sino-North Korean trade is Nampo, the North Korean port on the Yellow Sea. Chinese ships coming from Shanghai or Dalian usually dock there.

As reported by the Daily NKCiting a source on the Chinese side of the border, Beijing authorities impose fines of up to 300,000 yuan (about 43,000 euros) on Chinese citizens caught trading with North Koreans.