Trade data showed that North Korea's trade with China increased for the third consecutive month in August amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to China's General Administration of Customs on Saturday, trade volume between the two nations came to 28-point-78 million U.S. dollars in August, up 37-point-five percent from a month earlier.

The figure rose to over 30 million dollars in April amid rumors that North Korea was likely to reopen suspended land-based trading routes with China. It plunged to three-point-four million in May before rising for the following three months.

However, the latest trade volume still represents a mere 12-point-one percent of the comparable figure for August of 2019, before the outbreak of the pandemic.

North Korea's exports to China jumped 51-point-three percent on-month in August to six-point-24 million dollars, surpassing six million dollars for the first time in a year.

The North's imports from China grew 34-point-one percent on-month to 22-point-five million dollars.