New China-North Korea bridge opens after more than decade delay

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 14 Oct, 05:32 · Archive

A 3-kilometre bridge connecting China and North Korea will open on Thursday, more than a decade after construction began.

A new bridge linking China and North Korea is set to open on Thursday, more than a decade after the Chinese side was built. The official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported that both sides will hold a ceremony for the launch of the New Yalu River Bridge. The 3-kilometre structure will connect the northeastern Chinese city of Dandong to the North Korean city of Sinuiju.

The bridge was initially expected to enter use in 2014. In September 2014, the North Korean side ended in a dirt ramp with no customs or immigration buildings. This prompted a report in the Global Times, affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, quoting Dandong residents expressing frustration over delays. They had hoped the bridge would be an economic boon for their border city. Foreign analysts suggested at the time that Pyongyang was wary of China's economic influence.

China is North Korea's biggest trading partner and major ally, though Beijing has expressed disapproval over the years at North Korea's missile tests. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un travelled to Beijing in September 2025 to attend a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the first time a North Korean leader appeared at a Chinese military parade in decades. The only current bridge between the two countries was built in 1937 and carries a railway line as well as vehicles, but vehicle traffic can move only one way at a time.

How it is being reported

• New bridge linking China and North Korea will open more than a decade lateA new bridge linking China and North Korea is set to open more than a decade after the Chinese side of it was built, in the latest sign of closer ties between the two countries.News4Jax · 14 Oct, 04:56
• New bridge linking China and North Korea will open more than a decade lateA new bridge linking China and North Korea is set to open more than a decade after the Chinese side of it was built, in the latest sign of closer ties between the two countries.Clickorlando · 14 Oct, 04:56

In this story: China · North Korea · Dandong · Sinuiju · Kim Jong Un · Beijing · Xinhua

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