Photos: China and North Korea open new border bridge amid deepening ties

The New Yalu River Bridge connects Dandong, China, and Sinuiju, North Korea, enhancing regional trade and collaboration.A Chinese patrol vessel travels along the Yalu River as trucks adorned with Chinese flags cross the newly opened New Yalu River Bridge into North Korea's Sinuiju from China's Dandong New Zone, as seen from Dandong, Liaoning province, China. [Florence Lo/Reuters]Published On 15 Oct 202615 Oct 2026The opening of a long-delayed bridge linking China and North Korea underscores the deepening ties between the two neighbours as Pyongyang courts both Beijing and Moscow to ease its economic isolation.China’s official Xinhua news agency said a launch ceremony was held on Thursday for the New Yalu River Bridge, which connects the northeastern Chinese city of Dandong with the North Korean border city of Sinuiju.Video from state media showed trucks decorated with the national flags of both countries lined up on the four-lane span, which itself was festooned with Chinese and North Korean flags.In a video address, Chinese Premier Li Qiang hailed the bridge as a “new landmark” of the countries’ “traditional friendship” and urged both sides to use the opening to deepen connectivit...