DANDONG, China - A new bridge linking China and North Korea may open soon, with a building in Sinuiju confirmed as a customs facility from Dandong on the Chinese side of the Yalu River on Tuesday.
The building with "Sinuiju Customs" marked on an outer wall, observed by a Kyodo News reporter, is located near the New Yalu River Bridge, which was completed in 2014 but is yet to open. Construction of the building began in early 2025.
The apparent preparations to open the bridge come amid a recent improvement in relations between North Korea and China, with high-level visits and the resumption of a passenger train service linking the countries.
New customs buildings on the Chinese side have already been completed, paving the way for an increase in bilateral trade and people-to-people exchanges.
Construction of the new bridge began in 2010 after China and North Korea agreed to build it in 2009 during a trip to Pyongyang by then Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
The Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge built by Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War, which lies upstream of the new bridge, connects the countries with a rail track and single-lane road. The new bridge accommodates two lanes in each direction.
It remains unknown why the opening of the new bridge has been delayed for more than a decade since its completion.
