A new bridge linking China and North Korea is set to open on Thursday after more than a decade of delay in the latest sign of closer ties between the two countries.
The official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday that both sides will hold a ceremony for the launch of the New Yalu River Bridge. The four-lane, 3-kilometer (1.8-mile) bridge will connect the northeastern Chinese city of Dandong to the North Korean city of Sinuiju.
The bridge initially was expected to enter use in 2014 after China apparently completed construction of access roads, customs facilities and other related infrastructure on its side. But the date passed with no sign of an opening and without North Korea doing corresponding works on its side.
At that time, it prompted an unusually sharp report in the Global Times, a newspaper affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, which quoted Dandong residents expressing frustration over delays in what they had hoped would be an economic boon for their border city.
A lack of substantial work on the North Korean side prompted speculation that North Korea was wary of an increase in economic dependence or was unhappy with China voting for United Nations resolutions toughening international sanctions on the North over its nuclear program. Some observers said North Korea and China also differed over the location of the bridge.
