China-North Korea bridge opens 12 years after completion

China and North Korea have officially opened their most significant land border crossing, more than a decade after the bridge was completed.

The 3-kilometre New Yalu River Bridge, which links the Chinese city of Dandong with North Korea, was finished in 2014 but had remained unused until Thursday.

Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that the two countries held an opening ceremony. 

Trucks carrying Chinese flags lined up on the bridge ahead of the first crossings, while crowds gathered on the Chinese side to watch.

The opening is a sign of improving ties between Beijing and Pyongyang, whose leaders have held two summits in the past year.

China is by far North Korea’s largest trading partner, despite UN sanctions over Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear weapons programmes.

China’s exports to North Korea rose 25 per cent last year to $2.3 billion, a six-year high but still well below levels before sanctions were tightened in 2017.

Analysts say the bridge is unlikely to bring an immediate return to pre-sanctions trade levels, but will help move heavy equipment, raw materials and energy products needed for North Korea’s development projects.