Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that trade between China and North Korea had risen 40% in the first quarter.

The US President appeared to be referring to data China reported in April showing its trade with North Korea increased 37% in the first quarter of this year, despite the introduction of a ban on importing coal from its smaller neighbor.

But those figures are for the three-month period before Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in early April.

When China announced the North Korean trade figures nearly three months ago, Trump didn't mention them, choosing instead to hail China's rejection of a fleet of ships carrying North Korean coal as a "big step" toward cracking down on the rogue state.