BEIJING, Oct 14 – A new bridge linking China and North Korea will open on Thursday, China’s official Xinhua News Agency said, 12 years after its completion amid warming ties between Beijing and Pyongyang.
The New Yalu River Bridge, finished in 2014, connects the border cities of Dandong in northeastern China and Sinuiju on the North Korean side. The two countries, which marked the 77th anniversary of diplomatic ties last week, will hold a ceremony to mark its opening, the news agency said Wednesday.
The road link is expected to increase trade and personnel exchanges between the two countries. Its opening was delayed apparently by preparations by North Korea, with what is believed to be a customs facility on its side only recently completed.
It lies downstream of the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, which was completed by Japan in 1943 during World War II and renamed in 1990. The aging bridge has a rail track and single-lane road, while the new one accommodates two lanes in each direction.
Construction of the new bridge was agreed in 2009 during a trip to Pyongyang by then Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and began in 2010.
A passenger train service linking China and North Korea resumed in March this year following a six-year hiatus, while direct flights between the two countries have increased.
China is North Korea’s largest trading partner and longtime economic benefactor. Ties have improved recently after apparently cooling over North Korea’s deepening military cooperation with Russia, including its deployment of troops to support Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
In September, Russia and North Korea opened their first road bridge over the Tumen River. The two countries have already provided a rail link over it.
During his June trip to Pyongyang, his first since 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to boost bilateral strategic coordination.
In July, China and North Korea also commemorated the 65th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, which commits each country to provide immediate military and other support if the other comes under armed attack.
