Kim Jong Un of North Korea Travels to China Across a Newly Constructed Bridge

Following a symbolic crossing over a recently opened bridge, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has returned home from a day excursion to the Chinese border city of Dandong, according to state news agency Xinhua.

According to Xinhua, Wang Huning, China’s fourth-highest-ranking official, accompanied Kim on Saturday and delivered “cordial greetings and best wishes” from Chinese President Xi Jinping. The visit took place around a week after the New Yalu River Bridge, which connects the two nations and strengthens economic links between China and North Korea, was formally opened twelve years after it was completed.

Kim’s visit also fell on the eve of China’s 1950–1953 Korean War anniversary. According to Xinhua, Kim and Wang went to a Korean War memorial in Dandong, where the North Korean leader honoured Chinese soldiers who fought with North Korea.

Additionally, the two promised to improve bilateral ties while touring a nearby auto manufacturer. Kim stated that Pyongyang “stands ready to work with China to carry forward their historical friendship and enhance their practical collaboration,” as reported by Xinhua.

Later, Wang went with Kim to the new bridge to bid farewell to the North Korean leader as his visit came to an end. The visit, according to analysts, is a component of Kim’s more assertive foreign policy strategy, which aims to unite Pyongyang with Beijing and Moscow in a “new Cold War” against the United States.

Experts said the opening of the New Yalu River Bridge, which stretches 3km (1.9 miles) across the Yalu River, was a key symbol of strengthening ties between the two countries and reflected their intent to expand China-North Korea trade. It is expected to accommodate two-way traffic around the clock, including container shipments and heavy cargo trucks.

The four-lane structure was completed in 2014, but its opening was delayed due to a lack of connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side, according to South Korean news reports.

“The opening of the bridge has resolved a major bottleneck in China-North Korea trade logistics,” Lu Chao, an expert in China-North Korea relations at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, a Chinese government think tank in Shenyang, told Reuters.

“With the logistics constraint eased, bilateral trade is likely to increase further,” Lu said. Although relations have not always been easy, China is North Korea’s biggest trading partner and a crucial source of political, economic, and diplomatic support for the isolated nation.

Pyongyang’s primary diplomatic and economic ally is China, which fought with North Korea throughout the Korean War. However, after Moscow began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, North Korea has become closer to Russia, which observers claim has lessened Pyongyang’s dependence on Beijing.

Kim last visited China in September 2025 to attend the 80th Victory Day celebrations in Beijing, when he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping for a meeting.