China and North Korea have opened a long-delayed bridge linking the two countries, in a development expected to strengthen cross-border trade and economic cooperation.
Chinese state media reported that the New Yalu River Bridge, spanning approximately three kilometres, connects the Chinese border city of Dandong with Sinuiju in North Korea.
The bridge is expected to provide a major route for trade between the neighbouring countries, as Beijing remains Pyongyang’s largest trading partner and a key source of economic support amid international sanctions over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.
Originally scheduled to open in 2014, the project suffered a 12-year delay after North Korea halted construction of connecting roads and customs facilities, amid strained relations with China.
The opening comes as the two countries seek to strengthen economic ties and improve cross-border connectivity.
The new bridge is expected to complement the decades-old Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, built between 1937 and 1943 during Japan’s occupation of the region, which has long served as a major land link between the two countries.
The development could further expand trade and transportation links between Beijing and Pyongyang.
