Pyongyang–Beijing international passenger train resumes after six years amid closer DPRK–China ties ahead of Trump’s April visit to Beijing

According to The Financial News, the international passenger train running between Pyongyang and Beijing will resume operations for the first time in about six years since the outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). With U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the People's Republic of China expected within a month, growing diplomatic closeness between the DPRK and China is drawing attention.
According to sources familiar with North Korea and foreign media reports on the 10th, the Pyongyang–Beijing international passenger train will begin round-trip service on the 12th. The train is scheduled to run four times a week and will reportedly make a stop in Dandong, Liaoning Province, China. Dandong is a border city on the Chinese side of the Yalu River, facing Sinuiju in the DPRK. A one-way trip is expected to take close to 12 hours at minimum.
Most passengers on the train are said to be traveling for official or work-related purposes. For this reason, the service may also be used as a channel for closer diplomatic coordination between Pyongyang and Beijing ahead of the summit between the U.S. and Chinese leaders.
Reports indicate that the last two cars of the train will be used for passenger transport.
Before the DPRK restricted foreign visitors in response to COVID-19, Chinese nationals accounted for the largest share of foreign tourists to the country. In recent years, the DPRK has been developing various tourism facilities along its East Coast and other areas to attract more foreign tourists.
Meanwhile, the top leaders of the DPRK and China have reaffirmed bilateral cooperation through an exchange of letters. President Xi Jinping recently sent a congratulatory message to Kim Jong Un on his reappointment as General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea. Kim, in a reply sent the previous day, also reaffirmed cooperation between Pyongyang and Beijing.

rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter