Private trade between North Korea and China has reportedly come to a virtual standstill in the wake of Pyongyang’s currency reform.

Chinese traders in the border cities of Dadong and Yanbian who export goods to the North said Tuesday that private trade between the two countries has come to a halt since the North implemented its currency reform last November.

In Dandong, where 70 percent of China’s trade with the North takes place, the number of cargo trucks that come and go from the North has shrank to three or four a day compared to dozens before the North revamped its currency system.

In Yanbian, traders say North Korean authorities have banned the entry of Chinese products into the North with the exception of daily necessities.

The traders said, however, that such a halt in trade is unlikely to last for a long time given that the North is heavily dependent on China for private trade.