NK-China border may reopen

New bridge, other projects signal possible resumption of trade

A Chinese city on the border with North Korea is looking to upgrade its cross-border trade facilities amid speculation that the two countries are moving to strengthen their relationship to counter increased pressure from the United States.

Government documents show the local authorities in Dandong in Liaoning province recently started soliciting bids for a series of projects that suggest the long-delayed New Yalu River Bridge may soon be open for use.

The eight-lane bridge was designed to replace the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge built by the Japanese occupiers in 1943, which is only wide enough for a single rail track and a one-way road. The bridge could help bring investment to an economic zone planned in Dandong, a city of 2.5 million people that stands opposite the North Korean city of Sinujiu, and boost trade with its impoverished and isolated neighbor. Work on the project started 10 years ago and it was originally due to open in 2014.

Neither side has explained why it is still not ready but it is widely believed that the North Korean side was responsible.

Noticeable activities in Dandong

But recently the Dandong city authorities put out to tender an updated feasibility study into a new border port project on the Chinese side of the bridge.

Last month, the Liaoning provincial transport authority also started the bidding process for a six-month safety inspection contract for the new bridge, which it said would be “put into operation soon”. In January, the natural resources bureau in Dandong announced that an environmental consulting firm based in Shenyang, the provincial capital, had been given a contract to carry out an environmental impact assessment “to ensure the sustainable development of the border economic cooperation zone”, a project first approved in 1992. The latest efforts have revived speculation that China and North Korea are moving to strengthen their relationship in the face of pressure from the U.S.

Citing trade sources, South Korean broadcaster JTBC reported that officials in Dandong have started accepting export registration for a potential border reopening on Friday, a day after the birthday of North Korea’s founder Kim Il-sung, one of the most important public holidays in the country.

Korea Times file The New Amnokgang Bridge, connecting the Chinese city of Dandong and North Korea’s Sinuiju, is reportedly set to be opened later this year. The eight-lane bridge was designed to replace the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge built in 1943 during the Japanese colonial rule of Korea. China calls it the New Yalu River Bridge.