China's trade with North Korea plunged to its lowest level for a second straight month in November as Pyongyang has been bolstering measures to curb the entry of the novel coronavirus into the country, foreign affairs experts said Thursday.

With a serious downturn in the broader economy apparently choking the supply of daily essentials, more diplomats in Pyongyang have started to evacuate from North Korea recently, a source familiar with the situation in the nation said.

The total volume of China's trade with North Korea dropped 23% from a month earlier to $1.27 million in November, while its exports to the neighbor also fell 42% to $148,000, the General Administration of Customs said Wednesday.