A long-delayed road bridge linking China and North Korea has officially opened, Chinese state media have reported, signalling a notable improvement in trade ties between the neighbouring countries after a 12-year postponement.
The New Yalu River Bridge, spanning 3km (1.9 miles) from the Chinese border city of Dandong to Sinuiju in North Korea, is set to become the principal land route for trade between the two nations. Its launch had been indefinitely postponed since its initial target of 2014, largely due to North Korea halting construction of its connecting roads and customs facilities during a period of strained relations with Beijing.
China is North Korea's most significant trading partner, serving as a vital economic lifeline for Pyongyang amidst extensive international sanctions imposed over its nuclear weapons programme. The inauguration of the bridge underscores Beijing's efforts to deepen its engagement with the reclusive state.
In a video address on Thursday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang described the bridge as "a new landmark symbolising the traditional friendship between China and North Korea," further asserting that the two countries were "opening a new chapter" in their bilateral ties. His remarks highlight a renewed emphasis on the historically close relationship.
The new bridge offers an alternative to the existing Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, an older structure built between 1937 and 1943 during the region's occupation by Imperial Japan. According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, the New Yalu River Bridge is an "important facility for connectivity" between the two countries, anticipated to "further facilitate trade and people-to-people exchanges," as stated on Wednesday.
Economically, bilateral trade between China and North Korea reached $2.7bn last year, a recovery to pre-pandemic levels predominantly driven by Chinese exports to North Korea. However, experts remain cautious about the prospect of a rapid escalation in trade volumes.
Kang Jun-young, a professor of Chinese studies at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, told the BBC that a "sharp and sudden increase in trade across the border is unlikely" given that UN sanctions on North Korea remain in effect. Professor Kang also noted that "Pyongyang is also wary of a sudden flood of Chinese imports that would greatly expand China's influence over its domestic market," adding that "China is well aware of these concerns, so trade is more likely to grow gradually."
Beijing and Pyongyang share a long-standing alliance, cemented by a mutual defence treaty – China's only such pact with any country. Their relationship has often been characterised by the idiom "as close as lips and teeth," a phrase first articulated by China's former leader Mao Zedong.
Despite this historical bond, ties experienced a period of coolness for much of the 2010s, as Beijing's patience with Pyongyang's burgeoning nuclear weapons programme reportedly wore thin. North Korea's 2017 nuclear test and its subsequent escalation of banned ballistic missile tests intensified US concerns, strengthening its military alliances with South Korea and Japan.
Observers now point to a significant shift in China's stance. Edward Howell, a lecturer at the University of Oxford, commented to the BBC: "Whilst only a decade ago, Beijing was overtly critical of North Korea's nuclearisation – and indeed calling for Pyongyang's denuclearisation – China is now saying little, if anything, to this effect."
This re-evaluation of the relationship by Beijing is believed to be partly influenced by North Korea's increasingly close alignment with Russia, particularly in the context of the conflict in Ukraine. Estimates suggest that at least 2,300 North Korean soldiers may have died fighting for Russia in Ukraine. In exchange, Russia is reported to supply North Korea with oil, in violation of UN sanctions, with over a billion barrels estimated to have been sent in 2024 as payment for Pyongyang's weaponry and troops.
Further demonstrating this developing axis, North Korea and Russia inaugurated their own road bridge last month. Russian state media indicated that this new route would facilitate the daily movement of up to 300 vehicles and over 2,000 people.
Against this backdrop, Beijing appears to be attempting to reassert its traditional influence over Pyongyang by actively rekindling bilateral ties. Beyond the bridge opening, other signs of strengthening relations include Air China's resumption of direct flights between Beijing and Pyongyang in March, following a six-year hiatus prompted by the pandemic. Passenger train services between the two nations also recommenced in the same month.
A high-profile demonstration of this rapprochement was Chinese President Xi Jinping's first state visit of the year, which took him to Pyongyang in June to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, highlighted the significance of these developments. "The opening of the New Yalu River Bridge demonstrates bilateral relations are improving and that Xi Jinping's June visit to North Korea was more than symbolic," Professor Easley noted. However, he also tempered expectations by observing, "But the long delay, including North Korea's pandemic self-isolation and domestic socioeconomic crackdowns, shows what a difficult partner Pyongyang can be for Beijing."
