The new Anping River Bridge, connecting Sinuiju in North Korea and Dandong in Liaoning Province, China, will officially open on October 15.
According to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency, the bridge will be inaugurated following discussions between China and North Korea, with a joint opening ceremony planned for the same day.
The existing bridge, the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, features a railway on one side and a single-lane road on the other, allowing only 150 to 200 vehicles to cross daily. This bridge was completed in 1943.
In response, both countries agreed to construct the new Anping River Bridge, which was completed in 2014. While construction on the Chinese side is finished, the bridge has not opened due to incomplete connecting roads, customs facilities, and quarantine measures on the North Korean side.
Since last year, relations between North Korea and China have improved, paving the way for the bridge's opening. In September 2022, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Beijing to attend the 80th anniversary of China's victory in the war, and in June 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pyongyang for a summit with Kim, accelerating the bridge's inauguration. During the June summit, Xi stated, "We should fully restore border trade and expand people-to-people exchanges." Kim emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation in economic trade and infrastructure development.
China has announced that the new four-lane Anping River Bridge could handle up to 20,000 vehicles and 50,000 passengers daily. However, considering North Korea's infrastructure capabilities, initial estimates suggest it may accommodate around 500 vehicles and handle 300,000 to 600,000 tons of goods.
Meanwhile, trade between North Korea and China reached approximately $1.5 billion in the first half of this year, a 19.6% increase compared to the previous year. The annual trade volume for 2025 is projected to be around $2.7 billion, recovering to 98% of the level seen in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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