China and North Korea Open the New Yalu River Bridge
A 3-kilometer road bridge from the Chinese city of Dandong to Sinuiju in North Korea has opened and is set to become the main land route for trade between the two countries.
China and North Korea opened the New Yalu River Bridge, a road bridge that crosses the Yalu River, which forms part of the border between the two countries. It runs 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from the Chinese border city of Dandong to Sinuiju in North Korea, and it is set to become the main land route for trade between them.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, speaking by video, called the bridge a "new landmark symbolizing the traditional friendship between China and North Korea."
China is North Korea's largest trading partner. Trade between the two reached $2.7 billion last year, back to its level before the pandemic, and most of it was Chinese exports to North Korea. United Nations sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear weapons program remain in force. Kang Jun-young, a professor of Chinese studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, said trade is more likely to grow gradually than to jump.
Until now, road and rail traffic between the two cities used the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, built between 1937 and 1943.
DANDONG, China — China and North Korea opened the New Yalu River Bridge, a 3-kilometer road crossing between the Chinese border city of Dandong and Sinuiju in North Korea that is set to become the main land route for trade between the two countries.
In a video address, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said the bridge was a "new landmark symbolizing the traditional friendship between China and North Korea" and that the two countries were "opening a new chapter" in their relations. A day earlier, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called the bridge an "important facility for connectivity" that would "further facilitate trade and people-to-people exchanges."
What the bridge replaces
The Yalu River marks much of the border between China and North Korea. Until now the main crossing at Dandong was the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, built between 1937 and 1943, when Imperial Japan occupied the region. The new bridge runs alongside it as an alternative route.
The trade it carries
China is North Korea's largest trading partner. Trade between them reached $2.7 billion last year, a return to pre-pandemic levels, mostly from Chinese exports to North Korea. United Nations sanctions imposed over North Korea's nuclear weapons program still limit what can be traded.
Kang Jun-young, a professor of Chinese studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, said a sharp increase in cross-border trade is "unlikely" while the sanctions remain. "China is well aware of these concerns, so trade is more likely to grow gradually," he said, adding that North Korea is wary of a sudden flood of Chinese imports.
Background
The bridge was due to open in 2014. The opening was postponed after North Korea halted construction of the roads and customs facilities on its side, as relations with Beijing cooled.
China and North Korea have a mutual defense treaty, the only one China has with any country. Air China resumed direct flights between Beijing and Pyongyang in March, and passenger train service between the two countries restarted the same month. Chinese President Xi Jinping made a state visit to Pyongyang in June and met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Last month North Korea and Russia opened their first road bridge.