New Yalu River Bridge between North Korea and China officially opens 12 years after completion ... “to boost trade exchanges”

[The Financial News] The New Yalu River Bridge, linking Dandong in China's Liaoning Province and Sinuiju in North Korea's North Pyongan Province, officially opened on the 15th, 12 years after its completion.
The New Yalu River Bridge, with four lanes for two-way traffic and a total length of 3,026 meters, was completed in 2014 after China invested about 2.2 billion yuan (approximately 440 billion won). Since then, its official opening had been delayed due to such issues as inadequate connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side.
China's Xinhua News Agency and other outlets reported that Chinese Premier Li Qiang and North Korean Premier Park Tae-sung each delivered video congratulatory addresses at the bridge's opening ceremony held that day. Demonstration drives followed, with North Korean container trucks decorated with flowers and Chinese container trucks adorned with red ribbons.
Premier Li Qiang said, “The New Yalu River Bridge is an important cross-border infrastructure project that General Secretary Xi Jinping and General Secretary Kim Jong Un have both taken an interest in and promoted,” adding that the bridge had opened smoothly through the joint efforts of both sides. He said the opening would not only greatly promote economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, but also bring their people into closer contact and strengthen emotional ties between their peoples. “It will become a new landmark symbolizing the traditional friendship between the two countries,” he said.
He described North Korea and China as socialist friendly neighbors, saying, “Under the strategic guidance of the top leaders of the two parties and the two countries, China-DPRK relations are now entering a new stage and opening a new chapter.”
The bridge's prolonged neglect after completion has been seen as a symbol of deteriorating relations between the two countries. Its opening is therefore viewed as reaffirming their commitment to a full-fledged restoration of ties and the accompanying economic and trade cooperation. Relations between North Korea and China, once strained, are expected to recover quickly.
Since 2024, when North Korea strengthened its military and economic cooperation with Russia in the wake of the war in Ukraine, relations between North Korea and China have remained cool.
Relations then gained momentum toward recovery as the friendly atmosphere reached a peak with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's attendance at the parade marking the 80th anniversary of China's Victory Day last September, followed by Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to North Korea and a North Korea-China summit last June.
For the time being, the New Yalu River Bridge is expected to be used primarily for freight transport. Since March, North Korea and China have resumed international passenger train services between the two countries and Air China flights after a six-year hiatus. However, people-to-people exchanges, including group tours to North Korea by Chinese tourists and the issuance of visas and tourist cards, have not yet returned to normal.



[email protected] Lee Seok-woo, international affairs correspondent Reporter