China and North Korea open long-delayed New Yalu River Bridge
Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 14 Oct, 08:39 · Archive
China and North Korea are opening the New Yalu River Bridge on Thursday after more than a decade of delays.
China and North Korea will formally open the New Yalu River Bridge to traffic on Thursday, according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency. The four-lane, 1.8-mile bridge connects the northeastern Chinese city of Dandong to the North Korean city of Sinuiju.
China completed its side of the bridge in 2014, hoping to boost trade ties. However, North Korea did not complete corresponding works on its side for years. The delay prompted frustration among Dandong residents who had hoped the bridge would be an economic benefit to their border city. Observers attributed the delay to North Korea's wariness of increased economic dependence on China or unhappiness with Beijing's support for UN sanctions over Pyongyang's nuclear programme. Some also said the two countries differed over the bridge's location.
The new link is expected to ease the burden on an existing 1937 bridge on the Dandong-Sinuiju route, which handles more than 70 per cent of official trade between the two countries. That older bridge carries a railway line as well as vehicles, but vehicle traffic can move only one way at a time. China's exports to North Korea rose to a six-year high of 2.3 billion dollars last year, a 25 per cent increase from the previous year.
How it is being reported
- New bridge linking China and North Korea will open more than a decade lateThe bridge initially was expected to enter use in 2014 after China apparently completed construction of access roads, customs facilities and other related infrastructure on its side.New York Post · 14 Oct, 08:28
- China and North Korea to open New Yalu River Bridge, state media reportsThe long-delayed bridge will formally open on Thursday, according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency.Al Jazeera · 14 Oct, 05:27
In this story: China · North Korea · Dandong · Sinuiju · Xi Jinping
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