After 12 Years of Construction, China and North Korea to Open New Bridge on Thursday

A new bridge linking China and North Korea will be opened this week, according to Chinese state television on Wednesday, 12 years after its construction began, signaling further deepening of economic relations between Beijing and Pyongyang.

The new Yalu River Bridge, set to open on Thursday according to the state broadcaster CCTV, connects the border city of Dandong in northeastern China with one of the world's most isolated nations.

Construction of the four-lane bridge, which spans 3,026 meters, was completed in 2014 but its opening was delayed due to issues including the lack of connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.

China is North Korea's largest trading partner and a vital source of diplomatic, economic, and political support for the nuclear-armed state.

North Korea closed its borders during the COVID-19 pandemic, and train services between the two East Asian neighbors resumed in March after a six-year hiatus.

The new bridge was designed as an alternative to the "Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge," which had previously been regularly used for passenger trains but has limited capacity.

North Korea has not yet resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens, who previously constituted the vast majority of foreign visitors.

The opening of the new Yalu River Bridge comes more than a month after North Korea and Russia opened their first land bridge connecting the two countries, a move praised by Pyongyang as evidence of strengthened ties.