China and North Korea have opened the New Yalu River Bridge to facilitate cross-border movement. The 3km structure connects Dandong in China to Sinuiju in North Korea.
Construction of the bridge was originally scheduled for completion in 2014. Chinese Premier Li Qiang described the project as a "new landmark symbolising the traditional friendship between China and North Korea" that is "opening a new chapter".
Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, called the bridge an "important facility for connectivity" that will "further facilitate trade and people-to-people exchanges". Bilateral trade between the two nations reached $2.7 billion last year.
Kang Jun-young stated that a sharp and sudden increase in trade across the border is unlikely. Beijing and Pyongyang maintain a mutual defence treaty, while Kim Jong Un conducted a nuclear test in 2017.
Russia sent an estimated more than 1,000,000,000 barrels of oil in 2024 and opened its first road bridge with North Korea last month. Russian state media claims the North Korea-Russia road bridge would allow the movement of up to 300 vehicles and more than 2,000 people every day.
Air China resumed direct flights between Beijing and Pyongyang in March 2026, coinciding with the reopening of passenger train services. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pyongyang in June 2026.
Edward Howell noted that while Beijing was overtly critical of North Korea's nuclearisation a decade ago, China is now saying little to this effect. Leif-Eric Easley stated that 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.
