It looks like China’s grip over the North Korean economy is continuing to tighten:

China accounted for almost three-quarters of North Korea’s total trade last year and its economic influence over the impoverished state is expected to grow still further, data showed.

The North’s trade volume with the world, excluding South Korea, was 3.82 billion dollars in 2008, the highest figure since 4.17 billion dollars in 1990, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency said in a report.

Trade with China accounted for 73 percent of the total compared to just 33 percent in 2003.

The North’s total trade deficit widened last year, with exports increasing 23 percent year-on-year to 1.13 billion dollars and imports jumping 33 percent to 2.69 billion dollars.

In terms of China trade, the North exported goods worth 750 million dollars while imports were worth 2.03 billion dollars.

“North Korea’s trade with China hit a record last year and keeps growing,” said the report from Seoul’s state trade promotion agency.

“In the face of the global economic slump and the North’s rocket launch, North Korea’s external trade is expected to shrink this year. But China’s influence on the North Korean economy is likely to grow further.”  [AFP]

I have been saying for quite some time that China has a long term strategy to deal with any potential North Korean regime collapse and controling North Korea’s economy and resources is part of this strategy.