China and North Korea open four-lane bridge across the Yalu River — Asharq Al-Awsat

A new four-lane road bridge across the Yalu River, connecting China with North Korea, has opened in the Chinese border city of Dandong in Liaoning Province. The 3,026-metre structure is expected to help increase cross-border trade between the countries, Asharq Al-Awsat reports.

Hundreds of people gathered near the bridge before its opening. According to AFP correspondents, late in the morning trucks bearing the flags of both countries began moving in both directions; some North Korean vehicles were decorated with flowers.

Opening after years of delay

According to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, construction of the bridge was completed in 2014, but its commissioning was delayed due to the lack of access roads and customs infrastructure on the North Korean side. During the COVID-19 pandemic, North Korea also closed its borders, while rail links between the two countries resumed only in March after a six-year break.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

According to Xinhua, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who joined the ceremony by video link, called the bridge a symbol of friendship between Beijing and Pyongyang. He said the opening of the structure would strengthen economic and trade cooperation and facilitate contacts between people.

A new route for cargo

The new crossing is intended to replace the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge located downstream, a narrow rail-and-road bridge. North Korea expert Lim Eul-chul of Kyungnam University told AFP that transporting heavy cargoes, including industrial equipment, raw materials, construction materials and energy supplies, across the old bridge required special caution because of its condition.

In the expert's view, the new bridge will make such transportation easier and more efficient and could increase cargo flows threefold or fourfold. The opening took place the day after the state-run KCNA news agency reported that North Korea had launched two types of cruise missiles from a submarine.