चीन–उत्तर कोरिया जोड्ने पुल बिहीबार खुल्ने
BEIJING, Oct 14 —
The 3,026-meter-long Yalu River road bridge connecting China and North Korea is set to come into operation starting Thursday. Completed back in 2014, the bridge is finally opening after 12 years, and it is expected to expand trade relations between the two countries.
According to China’s state broadcaster CCTV, the four-lane bridge will connect China’s border city of Dandong with North Korea. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that its operation was delayed due to a lack of roads and customs infrastructure on the North Korean side. China is North Korea’s largest trading partner and its primary diplomatic, economic, and political ally. Railway services between the two countries, which were suspended during the pandemic, resumed last March after six years.
The new bridge will serve as an alternative to the decades-old, limited-capacity China-Korea Friendship Bridge. According to researcher Ahn Chan-il, hundreds of vehicles can travel across the new bridge daily, which he noted could channel Chinese goods and resources into North Korea to bolster its economy. South Korea’s Unification Ministry stated that it is closely monitoring the situation regarding the bridge’s operation. However, North Korea has not yet started issuing visas for Chinese tourists.
This bridge to China is opening a month after the first road bridge between North Korea and Russia came into operation. According to analysts, while military supplies play a prominent role in trade with Russia, trade with China can provide North Korea with the goods necessary to develop its civilian economy.
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