Kim Jong-un opens new trade link to China after 12-year wait

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un crossed into China on Saturday to inaugurate the New Yalu River Bridge, a 3km structure that reconnects Pyongyang to Beijing by road. The visit marks the first physical link between the two countries following a 12-year delay in the project's completion.

According to South Korea's unification ministry and China's Xinhua news agency, Kim arrived in the border city of Dandong to meet Wang Huning, a member of the standing committee of the Communist Party of China. During a joint tour of a car factory, the two leaders pledged to strengthen bilateral ties. Kim stated that North Korea is ready to work with China to expand practical cooperation and deliver tangible benefits to both populations.

The bridge opened in mid-October, shortly after China finished construction. Delays on the North Korean side previously stalled the project for more than a decade. This new infrastructure follows the opening of a road bridge across the Russia-North Korea border in early September, giving Pyongyang direct road access to its two primary geopolitical partners.

The timing of the trip aligns with the October 25 anniversary of China's first major victory in the Korean War. Japanese media reported that traffic controls were imposed around the bridge and a nearby museum dedicated to the conflict. Hotel bookings in the area were also restricted, with diplomatic sources attributing the measures to the arrival of a senior North Korean official.

This is Kim's sixth trip to China and his first since September 2025, when he attended a military parade in Beijing alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Xi visited Pyongyang in June, marking his first trip to the country in seven years.

Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul have deteriorated in recent weeks. Kim Yo Jong, the leader's sister, issued approximately 10 public statements criticizing South Korea since late September, a frequency the unification ministry described as unusual. She also announced plans to resume loudspeaker broadcasts at the border within days.

The visit occurs ahead of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19. While speculation persists about a potential meeting between Kim and US President Donald Trump, Reuters reported on Friday that US and South Korean officials assess the likelihood of such a meeting this year as low.