China–North Korea’s New Yalu River Bridge Opens Today After 11-Year Delay
The long-delayed New Yalu River Bridge linking China and North Korea opens on Wednesday, October 15, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported, with both sides set to hold a joint opening ceremony.
A bridge 11 years in the making
China completed its side of the bridge back in 2014, hoping to boost trade ties. North Korea, however, left its approach roads and customs facilities unfinished as relations soured over Pyongyang’s nuclear tests and the United Nations sanctions that followed.
A signal of warming ties
The opening signals further progress in bilateral relations between Beijing and Pyongyang — coming just weeks after North Korea opened its first road bridge with Russia.
Trade context
China’s exports to North Korea rose to a six-year high of $2.3 billion last year, a 25 percent increase over the previous year. That was still well short of the levels seen before UN sanctions were imposed in 2017.
Sources: Reuters, Xinhua.
