Ceremony set for Thursday

Chinese state media say both governments will hold a joint opening ceremony on Thursday, 15 October, and the crossing will then take traffic. The bridge links Dandong in northeastern China with Sinuiju in North Korea. Its length is given as roughly 3 kilometres by AP and as 3,026 metres in a Portuguese-language report. The new structure will carry two lanes in each direction, while the existing bridge, built in 1937 when Korea was a Japanese colony, has a single road lane and one rail track and allows traffic to move only one way at a time. Xinhua is the source cited for the date, and the new crossing is expected over time to take over from the older bridge, although no timetable has been published.

A bridge years behind schedule

Construction ran from October 2011 to October 2014, according to one report, and China completed its side of the bridge in 2014 in the hope of boosting trade. The opening was originally expected in 2014, but that year passed with no sign of traffic. By September 2014 the North Korean end stopped at an unfinished dirt embankment, lacking customs and immigration facilities. A newspaper tied to the Chinese Communist Party, Global Times, ran an unusually blunt piece at the time, quoting Dandong residents who were frustrated at waiting for an expected economic lift. Foreign analysts then suggested that Pyongyang was cautious about the growing economic weight of China.

Wider China and North Korea ties

Beijing remains Pyongyang's largest trading partner and main ally, although it has voiced disapproval of North Korean missile tests over the years. Chinese exports to North Korea reached $2.3bn in 2025, a six-year high and a 25 percent increase on the previous year, according to Al Jazeera. Xi Jinping was received in Pyongyang in June, the first visit by him there since 2019. Air China resumed direct flights between Beijing and Pyongyang in March after a six-year pause, and passenger rail service between the two countries returned the same month, having been suspended since 2020. Kim Jong Un attended a military parade in Beijing in September 2025, the first time a North Korean leader had appeared at a Chinese military parade in decades. North Korea has still not resumed tourist visas for Chinese citizens, who once made up the bulk of its foreign visitors.

Russia and the shifting balance

North Korea and Russia signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in 2024 that includes a mutual defence provision. North Korea has deployed thousands of troops to fight in Russia's war against Ukraine, and in early October the first bridge connecting Russia and North Korea opened. Analysts cited by Al Jazeera say this closer relationship has reduced Pyongyang's dependence on Beijing. The 1961 Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance still contains a mutual defence clause and remains China's only formal military alliance. US President Donald Trump has expressed interest in repairing relations with Pyongyang and has floated meeting Kim again, although no meeting has been set.