North Korea-China New Yalu River Bridge Sees Light of Day After 12 Years... Symbol of 'Improved Ties' (Roundup)

Scheduled to open in 2014, but delayed indefinitely
Connecting road construction stalled after North Korea's nuclear tests
Work advanced in months as ties improved between the two countries

The New Yalu River Bridge, which connects Dandong in China's Liaoning Province with Sinuiju in North Korea's North Pyongan Province, will officially open 12 years after its completion. Once a symbol of tensions between North Korea and China, the bridge is set to become a new logistics corridor to expand trade between the two countries.

Chinese President Xi Jinping poses for a commemorative photo after meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his visit to North Korea last June. Korean Central News Agency-Yonhap.

China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported briefly on October 14: "Following consultations between China and North Korea, the newly built New Yalu River Bridge will officially open on October 15." It added that "a joint opening ceremony is scheduled for the same day."

The New Yalu River Bridge is a four-lane, two-way bridge with a total length of 3,026 meters. It was completed in 2014, but traffic was delayed for 12 years because of issues including the lack of connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side. The area at the North Korean end of the bridge was left undeveloped for years.

The New Yalu River Bridge was originally a project symbolizing a new era in North Korea-China relations and part of China's plan to encourage North Korea to pursue export-led economic reforms. However, the two countries' ties cooled after a series of North Korean nuclear tests, and construction of the connecting road on the North Korean side was suspended for an extended period, Singapore-based Chinese-language outlet Lianhe Zaobao reported.

The outlet reported that construction of the connecting road on the North Korean side picked up pace recently as relations between North Korea and China improved. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a military parade in Beijing last September marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II. Russian President Vladimir Putin stood alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping. It was the first time the leaders of North Korea, China and Russia had gathered in one place in 66 years, since the 1959 North Korea-China-Soviet summit in Beijing.

Xi's visit to North Korea in June this year is seen as a decisive turning point in improving North Korea-China relations. Foreign media have also suggested that North Korea's closer ties with Russia, including its troop deployment in connection with the war in Ukraine, affected relations between the two countries. Lianhe Zaobao reported that construction of the New Yalu River Bridge resumed after Xi's visit. The two countries have also resumed passenger train services and direct flights between Beijing and Pyongyang.

Construction on the North Korean side has progressed rapidly in recent months. According to a report released last month by SI Analytics, a South Korean satellite imagery analysis company, major construction work on North Korea's customs and immigration facilities was effectively nearing completion in early September. The report said North Korea completed the work in just four months using a "speed campaign" approach.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.