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China and North Korea Open New Yalu River Bridge
Confirmed
In Short: China and North Korea inaugurated the New Yalu River Bridge, enhancing trade and cooperation between the two nations.
On Thursday, China and North Korea officially opened the New Yalu River Bridge, a significant infrastructure project connecting the Chinese city of Dandong with the North Korean city of Sinuiju. According to Al Jazeera (Qatar) and DW (Germany), the bridge was inaugurated with a ceremony attended by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who hailed it as a symbol of the two countries' traditional friendship and a new landmark in their cooperation.
Al Jazeera (Qatar) and BBC (United Kingdom) reported that the bridge, spanning 3km (1.8 miles), is expected to alleviate traffic congestion on the ageing Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, which can only handle one-way traffic at a time. The New Yalu River Bridge is designed to accommodate up to 300 vehicles daily, easing the pressure on the existing bridge.
Both Al Jazeera (Qatar) and the Saudi Gazette (Saudi Arabia) noted that the bridge's opening is part of a broader trend of deepening ties between China and North Korea. The Saudi Gazette (Saudi Arabia) highlighted that the bridge underscores the two countries' efforts to strengthen economic cooperation and ease North Korea's economic isolation.
Al Jazeera (Qatar) and DW (Germany) reported that the bridge's construction was initially planned for 2014 but was delayed due to North Korea's halt in building roads and customs facilities. DW (Germany) added that the bridge was completed in 2014 but remained unused until now due to the lack of connecting roads on the North Korean side.
The BBC (United Kingdom) and the Saudi Gazette (Saudi Arabia) reported that the bridge's opening ceremony took place at 10 a.m. local time, with footage showing trucks crossing in both directions. The BBC (United Kingdom) noted that the bridge's opening marks the latest rapprochement between the two neighbors.
Al Jazeera (Qatar) and the Daily Sabah (Türkiye) reported that hundreds of people gathered in Dandong to witness the opening of the bridge, taking selfies in front of the structure. The Daily Sabah (Türkiye) added that the bridge was decorated with national flags of both countries, and trucks adorned with the flags were seen crossing the bridge.
The BBC (United Kingdom) and the Saudi Gazette (Saudi Arabia) reported that bilateral trade between China and North Korea reached $2.7 billion last year, marking a recovery to pre-pandemic levels, mostly fueled by Chinese exports to North Korea.
Despite the differing details, all outlets agreed that the New Yalu River Bridge is a significant infrastructure project that will enhance trade and cooperation between China and North Korea, marking a new chapter in their bilateral relations.
What this adds
The opening of the New Yalu River Bridge is a continuation of the trend of deepening economic ties between China and North Korea, despite ongoing international sanctions against North Korea.
Background
China and North Korea opened the New Yalu River Bridge, enhancing trade and cooperation between the two countries.
What's confirmed
- China’s official Xinhua news agency said a launch ceremony was held on Thursday for the New Yalu River Bridge, which connects the northeastern Chinese city of Dandong with the North Korean border city of Sinuiju.
- The New Yalu River Bridge connects Dandong, China, and Sinuiju, North Korea, enhancing regional trade and collaboration.
- The New Yalu River Bridge spans 3km (1.9 miles) from the Chinese border city of Dandong to Sinuiju in North Korea, and is set to become the main land route for trade between them.
- Its launch, initially slated for 2014, had been indefinitely postponed after North Korea halted construction of its roads and customs facilities, as relations with Beijing turned frosty.
- Last month, North Korea and Russia opened their first road bridge, which Russian state media said would allow the movement of up to 300 vehicles and more than 2,000 people every day.
- Hundreds of people gathered on Thursday in the northern Chinese border town of Dandong, taking selfies in front of the 3,026-metre (9,927-feet) New Yalu River vehicle bridge before it opened.
- Meanwhile, China News Service showed visuals of trucks adorned with the national flags of China and North Korea on the bridge, which itself was decorated in flags.
- An opening ceremony took place on the bridge at 10 a.m. local time, according to China’s Xinhua News Agency, with footage showing trucks crossing in both directions.
- SEOUL —A long-delayed road bridge linking China and North Korea has opened, Chinese state media reported, marking the latest rapprochement between the neighbors.
- In the Chinese border city of Dandong, hundreds of residents gathered to witness the opening of the four-lane New Yalu River Bridge, which stretches 3,026 metres (9,927 feet).
- The new bridge, which crosses the Tumen river, is designed to accommodate “a projected growth in freight and passenger traffic, allowing up to 300 vehicles to pass through it daily,” the Russian government said.
- Trucks began crossing the 3,026-meter, four-lane structure in both directions.
What's still developing
- The South Korean government has counted at least 17 active road and rail links along the 1,400km (870-mile) North Korea-China border.
- The same basic problem affects far larger structures, including the Eiffel Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge, which require extensive repainting to keep their protective coatings in good condition.
- The southern bridge has been completely closed in both directions, while only one lane has been kept open on the Paton Bridge, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Friday.
- The first flag-adorned trucks made their way across the one-kilometre (0.6-mile) two-lane bridge spanning the Tumen River on Monday.
- Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the opening would "further strengthen the connection between our friendly countries" as the first flag-adorned trucks crossed the bridge.
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- After the flooding of the Kerung border, China has also shut down Tatopani, citing possible landslides on the Nepali side. (Beijing has also long been wary of the possible use of the Tatopani route by “Free Tibet” activists.) All cross-border traffic has been diverted to Korala, the third international border crossing between Nepal and China.
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- Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the bridge would support cooperation across trade, tourism, science, technology and culture while creating new jobs.
- The one-kilometre bridge spans the Tumen River between Khasan in Russia’s far east and Tumangang in North Korea, and Russian officials said it is designed to accommodate "a projected growth in freight and passenger traffic".
- More than 70 percent of official trade between the two countries currently goes through that crossing, according to Chinese data.
- “In light of trade action threatened by the United States earlier this week, it would be inappropriate to proceed with a celebratory event between the two countries,” said Jenna Ghassabeh, a spokesperson for Canadian Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson, in an emailed statement.