New China-North Korea bridge opens after more than a decade of delay

Twelve years after it was constructed, the New Yalu River Bridge between China and North Korea is finally operational. It is the latest sign of warming ties between the two nations. BEIJING (AP) — A new bridge linking China and North Korea opened Thursday after more than a decade of delay, signaling deeper ties between the two countries.China's official Xinhua News Agency reported that a ceremony for the launch of the New Yalu River Bridge was held in the morning.

An online video from state media outlet China News Service showed trucks adorned with the national flags of China and North Korea waiting on the bridge, which was also decorated with the flags.Beijing expected that the four-lane, 3-kilometer (1.8-mile) crossing, which connects the northeastern Chinese city of Dandong to the North Korean city of Sinuiju, would further promote economic, trade and “people-to-people" exchanges.During the ceremony, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said in a video address that the crossing would become a new landmark symbolizing the two nations' traditional friendship, Xinhua reported. He hoped both sides would seize the opportunity of the opening to continue to enhance connectivity and explore potential for cooperation in border areas, it said.“The relations between China and North Korea have entered a new stage, embarking on a new chapter,” he was quoted as saying.North Korean Premier Pak Thae ​Song also made a video address, the report added.Bridge opens after a 12-year delayThe bridge initially was expected to enter use in 2014, when China had apparently completed construction on its side. But the date came with no opening and without North Korea doing corresponding work on its side.The absence of substantial work in Sinuiju fueled speculation that Pyongyang was wary of becoming more economically dependent on China or displeased with Beijing voting for United Nations resolutions toughening international sanctions on the North over its nuclear program.

Some observers suggested North Korea and China also differed over the bridge's location.The setback over the bridge prompted an unusually sharp report in the Global Times, a newspaper affiliated with the ruling Chinese Communist Party, which quoted Dandong residents expressing frustration over delays in what they had hoped would be an economic boon for their border city.New link opens a month after launch of Russia-North Korea bridgeObservers said the new bridge would likely boost bilateral trade and enhance logistical efficiency gradually.It is expected to lessen the burden on an aging bridge on the Dand…