China-North Korea New Yalu River Bridge Opened, All walks of life in Dandong look forward to further economic and trade exchanges

China News Service, Dandong, Liaoning, October 15th (Reporters Han Hong and Yu Ruizhai) The new China-North Korea Yalu River Bridge was officially opened on the 15th. That morning, China and North Korea jointly held an opening ceremony on the new bridge. Trucks drove across the bridge towards each other, honking their horns in greeting; on the brand-new bridge, the national flags of China and North Korea were arranged in the wind.

The New Yalu River Bridge connects Dandong City, Liaoning Province, China, and Sinuiju City, North Pyongyang Province, North Korea. It is a highway bridge. Construction started in December 2010 and was completed in October 2014. It has four lanes in both directions and a bridge deck width of 28.5 meters. It is a twin-tower, double-cable-plane cable-stayed bridge structure. The waterway traffic standard adopts a 3,000-ton level.

Dandong Port is China's largest border trade port with North Korea. Before the new Yalu River Highway Bridge was opened to traffic, the existing Yalu River Bridge (China-North Korea Friendship Bridge) was a road-rail bridge that could only accommodate trucks carrying less than 20 tons and could only be opened to traffic in one direction. To this end, in 2010, the Chinese and North Korean governments decided to build a new Yalu River highway bridge downstream of the original bridge.

Under the Chinese side of the new Yalu River Bridge, there is an endless stream of people coming to visit and take photos. On that day, many Dandong citizens living by the river spontaneously acted as "tour guides" to introduce the construction process of the new bridge to tourists.

Ms. Wang, who lives in Jiangbian Community, told reporters that she is very curious about this bridge connecting the two countries. The bridge had been built when she moved here two years ago, and now it is finally open. "I feel very happy. Once the bridge is opened, the development of the new area will definitely be better."

For companies engaged in border trade, the weight of the new Yalu River Bridge is equally important. Shen Qingsong, chairman of Liaoning Chaochuan Cultural Development Co., Ltd., who has been engaged in trade with North Korea in Dandong for 30 years, said that in the past, the old bridge was open to traffic in one direction and it was quite inconvenient to transport goods; now the new bridge has four lanes in both directions, and "it is expected that it can run back and forth twice a day," which has improved efficiency and reduced costs.

"The opening of the new Yalu River Bridge between China and North Korea will bring speed and benefits to foreign trade companies' exports, which is the best news." Shen Qingsong said that in the next step, companies will continue to look for new opportunities and prepare for future development.

After the opening of the new Yalu River Bridge between China and North Korea, all walks of life in Dandong hope that this new channel will inject more impetus into China-North Korea economic and trade exchanges and regional connectivity. (over)