China and North Korea opened the 3-kilometer New Yalu River Bridge on Thursday, Oct. 15, ending a 12-year delay and creating a new four-lane road route intended to support trade between Dandong and Sinuiju.
A joint ceremony took place on the bridge, where trucks crossed in both directions beneath flags of the two countries. The crossing connects Dandong, in China’s Liaoning province, with Sinuiju in North Korea and is designed for road traffic. Construction began in December 2010, and the bridge was completed in 2014, but it sat unused while roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side remained unfinished.
Until now, the older Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge has carried road and rail traffic, but its limited capacity has constrained freight movement. Chinese Premier Li Qiang said the new crossing could strengthen trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, while North Korea’s premier also delivered a video address, according to Chinese state media. The opening follows years of disrupted cross-border exchange and is another sign of closer engagement between Beijing and Pyongyang.
Analysts cautioned that the bridge alone is unlikely to restore trade to pre-sanctions levels immediately, though it could ease the movement of heavy equipment, raw materials and other goods.