A new bridge linking China and North Korea opened on Thursday (October 15, 2026) after more than a decade of delay, signalling deeper ties between the two countries.
Mr. China has long been North Korea’s biggest trading partner and economic pipeline. But in recent years North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has prioritised Moscow, sending thousands of troops and conventional weapons to support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, apparently in exchange for military and economic assistance.
“The relations between China and North Korea have entered a new stage, embarking on a new chapter,” Chinese Premier Li Qiang said in a video address at the ceremony, Xinhua reported. Li said that the crossing would become a new landmark symbolising the two nations’ traditional friendship. He hoped both sides would seize the opportunity of the opening to continue to enhance connectivity and explore potential for cooperation in border areas, Xinhua said. Observers said the new bridge would likely boost bilateral trade and enhance logistical efficiency. “The new bridge could facilitate trade that violates UN sanctions, but traffic across it could be more transparent and subject to customs than cross-border smuggling,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
About 98% of North Korea’s external trade was with China in 2025. The South Korean government said last year there were at least 17 active road and rail links across the porous North Korea-China border, which stretches more than 1,400 kilometres (870 miles).
“China remains economically indispensable to North Korea in ways that Russia cannot replace, and the bridge may offer an inadvertent window into bilateral relations if flows are visibly interrupted in the future,” Mr. Easley said.
