China and North Korea open New Yalu River Bridge after 12-year delay
publishers 36articles 38first reported 14 Oct, 05:21 UTCdeveloping since 14 Oct · 9 editions
China and North Korea officially opened the New Yalu River Bridge on Thursday, bringing their largest land border crossing into operation 12 years after its completion.
The 3,026-meter cable-stayed bridge links Dandong in China with Sinuiju in North Korea. Trucks decorated with both countries’ flags crossed during the opening ceremony as spectators gathered on the Chinese side. The bridge was completed in 2014 but remained unused because connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side were unfinished. The COVID-19 pandemic caused further delays after North Korea closed its borders.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang said in a recorded address that bilateral relations were entering “a new phase” and that the crossing would promote trade, improve connectivity and strengthen exchanges between the two countries. North Korean Premier Pak Thae-song also addressed the ceremony by video, according to China’s Xinhua news agency.
The crossing is intended to expand commerce between North Korea and China, its largest trading partner. Most goods have previously crossed about 10 kilometers upstream on an 83-year-old bridge carrying rail traffic and a single-lane road.
Analysts cautioned that the new route might not immediately restore trade to levels seen before international sanctions and pandemic-era border closures. Lim Eul-chul of Kyungnam University said it could nonetheless facilitate shipments of heavy equipment, raw materials and energy products needed by North Korea.
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Written from 8 articles, 3 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 36 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
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