China and North Korea open New Yalu River Bridge after 12-year delay
The four-lane crossing links Dandong and Sinuiju. Trucks crossed the bridge at its October 15 opening.
China and North Korea opened the New Yalu River Bridge on October 15, 12 years after its completion in 2014, Reuters reported.
The crossing connects Dandong in China’s Liaoning province with Sinuiju in North Korea. China’s state news agency Xinhua said the cable-stayed bridge has four lanes for two-way traffic.
Trucks decorated with the two countries’ flags crossed the bridge during the opening, according to Reuters. Spectators gathered on the Chinese side to watch.
The bridge had remained unused while North Korea’s approach roads and customs facilities were unfinished, Reuters reported. Its opening adds a road crossing alongside the older China–North Korea Friendship Bridge, which carries both rail and road traffic.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang addressed the ceremony by video. He said the crossing would promote trade and exchanges between the two countries, according to an account published on the Chinese government’s website. Those remarks describe the government’s expectations for the bridge.
North Korean Premier Pak Thae Song also delivered a video address, the Chinese account said.
China is North Korea’s largest trading partner, Reuters reported. Until the new bridge opened, most goods crossed on the older bridge about 10 kilometres upstream.
This story was drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed below and reviewed by a human editor before publication.
