Kim Jong Un Crosses New Bridge to China to Expand Trade

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un crossed the newly opened New Yalu River Bridge into Dandong, China, on October 24, signaling renewed efforts by Pyongyang and Beijing to strengthen economic cooperation. Accompanied by China's senior political adviser Wang Huning, Kim's visit highlighted the strategic importance of a crossing expected to facilitate trade and provide North Korea with essential industrial supplies.

According to China's state news agency Xinhua, Wang conveyed President Xi Jinping's greetings to Kim. The two countries also pledged to strengthen strategic communication and cooperation to protect their sovereignty, security and development interests while expanding economic exchanges and contacts between their populations.

The four-lane bridge stretches approximately 3 kilometers across the Yalu River, connecting Dandong with Sinuiju, North Korea. Although completed in 2014, it remained unused for 12 years because connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side were not ready. The crossing officially opened on October 15, offering an alternative to the aging Friendship Bridge and potentially improving the movement of raw materials, heavy equipment and energy products.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed Kim walking across the bridge toward North Korea, accompanied by people waving flags. Xinhua also reported that he visited a Korean War memorial in Dandong, where he paid tribute to Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers who fought alongside North Korean forces from 1950 to 1953. Kim also toured an automobile factory in the city.

Christopher Green, a Korea specialist at Leiden University in the Netherlands, described the crossing as a political endorsement of closer commercial relations.

"Kim has given his imprimatur to bilateral trade by crossing the New Yalu River Bridge to enter China," Green said.

The opening follows years of strained relations and disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. China's leadership has indicated that the bridge could support expanded personnel exchanges and economic cooperation, while analysts expect trade volumes to increase gradually rather than immediately surge.

Lu Chao, an expert on China-North Korea relations at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences in Shenyang, said the new infrastructure could ease a significant obstacle to cross-border commerce.

"The opening of the bridge has resolved a major bottleneck in China-North Korea trade logistics," Lu said.

He also pointed to the potential consequences for bilateral commerce as transport restrictions ease.

"With the logistics constraint eased, bilateral trade is likely to increase further," Lu said.

Kim's visit comes as North Korea expands military cooperation with Russia, creating additional strategic considerations for Beijing. The two countries opened their first road bridge across their shared border in September, shortly before the New Yalu River Bridge entered service. The developments have raised questions about whether Moscow's growing relationship with Pyongyang could diminish China's longstanding influence.

Since late 2024, North Korea has supplied ammunition and as many as 16,000 troops in support of Russia's war in Ukraine, according to The Guardian. In 2024, Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a mutual defense pact requiring assistance if either country comes under attack. Pyongyang has received financial resources, military technology and battlefield experience through its relationship with Moscow.

Carla Freeman, director of the Foreign Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, said the expanding relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang has reinforced Beijing's interest in maintaining its influence over North Korea.

"China's interest in buttressing its influence in North Korea is certainly reinforced by the diversifying North Korea-Russia relationship — ties that China tolerates but watches closely as they add complexity to its relationship with its provocative neighbour," Freeman said.

Despite the new infrastructure, international restrictions remain a major obstacle to expanding North Korea's trade, according to Justin Hastings, a professor of international relations and comparative politics at the University of Sydney.

"The main restriction on trade with North Korea is not the infrastructure but international sanctions," Hastings said.

Hastings noted that weakened enforcement of United Nations sanctions by China and Russia has created additional opportunities for Pyongyang to obtain goods and military assistance. Russia's military relationship with North Korea has become particularly significant as the two countries expand cooperation.

North Korea's growing connections with both neighboring powers do not necessarily mean that either can dictate Kim's decisions. Fyodor Tertitskiy, a North Korea expert at Korea University in Seoul, argued that Kim prioritizes maintaining control over his government and preserving the country's nuclear arsenal.

"Both countries understand that Kim Jong Un would rather accept a complete breakdown in relationships than submit," Tertitskiy said.

He also questioned whether the closer economic connections would produce meaningful changes within North Korea.

"So I doubt we are seeing a straightforward struggle for influence. Kim is trying to play the two against each other, but China and Russia are not rivals like the Soviet Union and China were in the 1970s," Tertitskiy said.

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said North Korea could use its expanded relationship with Russia to secure additional economic benefits from China. Beijing, meanwhile, has reasons to restore its position as Pyongyang's principal economic partner through increased trade and people-to-people exchanges.

China remains North Korea's largest trading partner and a key source of economic and diplomatic support. The new bridge could therefore provide an indication of the condition of bilateral relations, although analysts expect the initial increase in trade to remain modest.

Kim's visit also coincides with preparations for major political meetings in China. Beijing is scheduled to host the fifth plenary session of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee on October 26, while Shenzhen is due to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit the following month, an event US President Donald Trump is expected to attend.