BEIJING -- A group of North Korean trade representatives has visited the Chinese border city of Dandong this week during which the two sides discussed ways to promote an annual trade exhibition between the two nations, according to Dandong officials on Saturday.

North Korea and its economic lifeline, China, have jointly held the annual trade fair in October since 2012, but the number of North Korean business entities attending the event last year was about 30 percent less than 2013.

The subdued mood at last year's event in Dandong, where more than 70 percent of bilateral trade is conducted, reflected the strained political ties amid Beijing's signals of displeasure with Pyongyang's nuclear ambition.

The North Korean delegation, led by Pak Ung-sik, director of the North's Korean International Exhibition Corporation, met Lin Xuewei, head of Dandong city's trade promotion body, on Thursday, according to a statement posted on the Chinese city's website.

"Both sides hope to make joint efforts to promote the exhibition" during the meeting, which would be the fourth of its kind this year, the statement said.

North Korea's annual trade with China fell 2.4 percent from a year ago in 2014, marking the first decline since 2009,  according to data compiled by the Beijing unit of the South's Korea Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).

North's trade with China totaled US$6.39 billion last year, compared with $6.54 billion in 2013, the data showed. (Yonhap)