The new bridge connecting North Korea and China is seen from Dandong in China's Liaoning Province on Oct. 14, a day before its official opening.NEWS1
BEIJING — The New Yalu River Bridge over the Amnok River, also known as the Yalu River, connecting North Korea’s Sinuiju and China’s Dandong, officially opened Thursday, 12 years after construction was completed. The opening could significantly boost trade between the two countries by easing chronic logistics bottlenecks in Dandong, which handles about 80 percent of North Korea-China trade.
"This bridge will not only vigorously promote economic and trade cooperation between our two countries but also facilitate closer exchanges between our peoples, strengthen emotional bonds and become a new landmark symbolizing the traditional friendship between China and North Korea," Chinese Premier Li Qiang said in a video address at the opening ceremony Thursday, according to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency.
"I hope the bridge's opening will serve as an opportunity to further streamline border-crossing procedures, improve connectivity, explore opportunities for cooperation in border regions and continue improving the quality of life for people in both countries," Li said.
Chinese media reported that once the customs and immigration facilities connected to the four-lane bridge become fully operational, the crossing could accommodate up to 20,000 vehicles and 50,000 people per day.
LEE JEONG-MIN
The existing Friendship Bridge, completed in 1943, has only a single traffic lane and prohibits vehicles weighing more than 20 tons. Daily truck traffic has been limited to around 150 to 200 vehicles.
Xinhua reported that North Korean Premier Pak Thae-song also delivered a video message at the ceremony, but did not disclose the names of officials from either country who attended in person. North Korea's state media did not immediately report the opening ceremony.
Photographs released shortly after the ceremony showed large North Korean and Chinese cargo trucks crossing the bridge in opposite directions, each displaying the North Korean flag and Chinese flag on either side of the driver's cab.
The opening after a 12-year delay has fueled speculation that North Korea and China only recently resolved disagreements over economic issues, including their longstanding trade imbalance.
"North Korea may have used the bridge as a bargaining chip in negotiations with China," said Kim Gyu-beom, an associate research fellow at the Institute for National Security Strategy. "Even if Chinese goods enter North Korea faster and in larger quantities, there is no guarantee that North Korea will be able to sell more of its own products to China."
North Korean and Chinese cargo trucks pass each other on the new bridge connecting Sinuiju, North Korea, and Dandong in China on Oct. 15.YONHAP
Chinese trade statistics show that North Korea's trade deficit with China reached a record $2.36 billion in 2019. The deficit stood at $1.85 billion last year and had already reached $1.13 billion in the first eight months of this year.
While the bridge may serve as a channel for a surge of Chinese exports to the North, it may also benefit Pyongyang's economic interests.
"Exports of North Korean food products, alcoholic beverages, cosmetics and light industrial goods to China could increase, while the number of North Korean workers in China may remain at current levels in the short term before rising over the medium to long term," Kim said.
Signs of growing demand for North Korean consumer goods are already visible in Dandong, where sales of North Korean alcoholic beverages and cosmetics have increased. Along Goryeo Street near Dandong Railway Station, North Korean beers such as Bonghak and Pyongyang are now sold alongside the better-known Taedonggang beer.
"The New Yalu River Bridge was completed 12 years ago, but its opening was delayed until now due to various circumstances that were difficult for China to control," Zheng Hao, a commentator for Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV, said. "Its opening ultimately carries strategic significance in strengthening economic ties and people-to-people exchanges."
The opening has also raised concerns that the United Nations sanctions regime against North Korea could be further undermined.
"The opening of the new bridge symbolizes the deepening of the North Korea-China blood alliance and their increasingly close strategic ties," said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies.
"With UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea still in place, the two countries have secured a modern border gateway under their governments' control that could serve as a channel for circumventing and undermining those sanctions."
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
