North Korea’s Kim Jong Un visits China via newly opened bridge
✓Kim arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong using the New Yalu River Bridge, officially opened about a week ago, according to South Korean officials.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong via a newly opened bridge, according to South Korean officials.
The visit on Saturday comes about a week after the bridge linking the two countries was officially opened, 12 years after its completion, deepening economic ties between the Asian giant and its small, nuclear-armed neighbour.
Kim’s visit also comes a day before the anniversary of China joining the 1950–1953 Korean War.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang met Kim in the border city, the Reuters news agency said, quoting a South Korean official.
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kim arrived in Dandong through the New Yalu River Bridge connecting the two countries, the Reuters and AFP news agencies reported, quoting unnamed South Korean government officials. South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency also reported the visit, citing an unidentified government source.
Analysts say the visit represents part of Kim’s increasingly assertive foreign policy, as he seeks to align Pyongyang with Beijing and Moscow in a united front against the United States under what he portrays as a “new Cold War”.
Experts said the opening of the New Yalu River Bridge, which stretches 3km (1.9 miles) across the Yalu River, was a key symbol of strengthening ties between the two countries and reflected their intent to expand trade. It is expected to accommodate two-way traffic around the clock, including container shipments and heavy cargo trucks.
The four-lane structure was completed in 2014, but its opening was delayed due to a lack of connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side, according to South Korean news reports.
“The opening of the bridge has resolved a major bottleneck in China-North Korea trade logistics,” Lu Chao, an expert in China-North Korea relations at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, a Chinese government think tank in Shenyang, told Reuters.
“With the logistics constraint eased, bilateral trade is likely to increase further,” Lu said.
China is North Korea’s largest trading partner and a vital source of diplomatic, economic and political support for the reclusive state, although ties have not always been smooth.
China, which fought alongside North Korea in the Korean War, is Pyongyang’s main economic and diplomatic backer. However, North Korea has drawn closer to Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which analysts say has reduced Pyongyang’s reliance on Beijing.
Kim’s last known visit to China was in September 2025 to attend the 80th Victory Day celebrations in Beijing, where he held a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Xi made a state visit to North Korea in June in which he expressed Beijing’s willingness to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, agriculture, construction and technology, while Kim described ties with China as a top strategic priority.
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
Kim arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong using the New Yalu River Bridge, officially opened about a week ago
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
Kim arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong using the New Yalu River Bridge, officially opened about a week ago, according to South Korean officials.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong via a newly opened bridge, according to South Korean officials.
The visit on Saturday comes about a week after the bridge linking the two countries was officially opened, 12 years after its completion, deepening economic ties between the Asian giant and its small, nuclear-armed neighbour.
Kim’s visit also comes a day before the anniversary of China joining the 1950–1953 Korean War.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang met Kim in the border city, the Reuters news agency said, quoting a South Korean official.
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kim arrived in Dandong through the New Yalu River Bridge connecting the two countries, the Reuters and AFP news agencies reported, quoting unnamed South Korean government officials. South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency also reported the visit, citing an unidentified government source.
Analysts say the visit represents part of Kim’s increasingly assertive foreign policy, as he seeks to align Pyongyang with Beijing and Moscow in a united front against the United States under what he portrays as a “new Cold War”.
Experts said the opening of the New Yalu River Bridge, which stretches 3km (1.9 miles) across the Yalu River, was a key symbol of strengthening ties between the two countries and reflected their intent to expand trade. It is expected to accommodate two-way traffic around the clock, including container shipments and heavy cargo trucks.
The four-lane structure was completed in 2014, but its opening was delayed due to a lack of connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side, according to South Korean news reports.
“The opening of the bridge has resolved a major bottleneck in China-North Korea trade logistics,” Lu Chao, an expert in China-North Korea relations at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, a Chinese government think tank in Shenyang, told Reuters.
“With the logistics constraint eased, bilateral trade is likely to increase further,” Lu said.
China is North Korea’s largest trading partner and a vital source of diplomatic, economic and political support for the reclusive state, although ties have not always been smooth.
China, which fought alongside North Korea in the Korean War, is Pyongyang’s main economic and diplomatic backer. However, North Korea has drawn closer to Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which analysts say has reduced Pyongyang’s reliance on Beijing.
Kim’s last known visit to China was in September 2025 to attend the 80th Victory Day celebrations in Beijing, where he held a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Xi made a state visit to North Korea in June in which he expressed Beijing’s willingness to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, agriculture, construction and technology, while Kim described ties with China as a top strategic priority.
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
Kim arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong using the New Yalu River Bridge, officially opened about a week ago, according to South Korean officials.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong via a newly opened bridge, according to South Korean officials.
The visit on Saturday comes about a week after the bridge linking the two countries was officially opened, 12 years after its completion, deepening economic ties between the Asian giant and its small, nuclear-armed neighbour.
Kim’s visit also comes a day before the anniversary of China joining the 1950–1953 Korean War.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang met Kim in the border city, the Reuters news agency said, quoting a South Korean official.
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kim arrived in Dandong through the New Yalu River Bridge connecting the two countries, the Reuters and AFP news agencies reported, quoting unnamed South Korean government officials. South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency also reported the visit, citing an unidentified government source.
Analysts say the visit represents part of Kim’s increasingly assertive foreign policy, as he seeks to align Pyongyang with Beijing and Moscow in a united front against the United States under what he portrays as a “new Cold War”.
Experts said the opening of the New Yalu River Bridge, which stretches 3km (1.9 miles) across the Yalu River, was a key symbol of strengthening ties between the two countries and reflected their intent to expand trade. It is expected to accommodate two-way traffic around the clock, including container shipments and heavy cargo trucks.
The four-lane structure was completed in 2014, but its opening was delayed due to a lack of connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side, according to South Korean news reports.
“The opening of the bridge has resolved a major bottleneck in China-North Korea trade logistics,” Lu Chao, an expert in China-North Korea relations at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, a Chinese government think tank in Shenyang, told Reuters.
“With the logistics constraint eased, bilateral trade is likely to increase further,” Lu said.
China is North Korea’s largest trading partner and a vital source of diplomatic, economic and political support for the reclusive state, although ties have not always been smooth.
China, which fought alongside North Korea in the Korean War, is Pyongyang’s main economic and diplomatic backer. However, North Korea has drawn closer to Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which analysts say has reduced Pyongyang’s reliance on Beijing.
Kim’s last known visit to China was in September 2025 to attend the 80th Victory Day celebrations in Beijing, where he held a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Xi made a state visit to North Korea in June in which he expressed Beijing’s willingness to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, agriculture, construction and technology, while Kim described ties with China as a top strategic priority.
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗ · Al Jazeera ↗
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
- Kim arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong using the New Yalu River Bridge, officially opened about a week ago