A state-owned Chinese firm has reportedly partnered with a blacklisted North Korean company for nearly a decade to mine for minerals useful in missile production.

The Wall Street Journal(WSJ) reported on Sunday that China’s Limac and North Korea’s Ryonbong General Corporation set up a joint venture in 2008 to mine tantalum, niobium and zirconium. The minerals are commonly used in the production of phones and computers but also nuclear reactors and missiles.

The WSJ said their years of partnership highlight how easily the North has been avoiding international sanctions to maintain trade with Chinese entities.

Ryonbong General was put under U.S. and United Nations sanctions in 2005 and 2009, respectively, for the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

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