China and North Korea will officially open a new bridge across the Yalu River on Thursday, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, putting the long-delayed project into operation.
China completed its section of the bridge in 2014 in hopes of boosting bilateral trade ties. North Korea, however, left its side unfinished for years as relations between the two countries cooled, after Beijing backed United Nations sanctions on Pyongyang over its nuclear tests.
China-North Korea Relations
China's exports to North Korea last year reached their highest level in six years at $2.3 billion, up 25 percent from the previous year. Chinese President Xi Jinping was hosted in Pyongyang in June, his first visit there since 2019.
Since 2018, Beijing has worked to mend ties with Pyongyang, while North Korea at one point also began improving relations with Washington.
China-North Korea relations were shaped by the Korean War. In 1961, the two countries signed a Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, which remains China's only formal military alliance. The treaty includes a mutual defense clause committing each side to support the other if attacked.
Although China was once North Korea's main diplomatic partner and patron for decades, relations between the two countries became strained after Beijing in 2017 backed tighter sanctions targeting Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.
Analysts say North Korea's growing relationship with Russia may have shifted the balance of Pyongyang's diplomatic dependence, reducing its reliance on Beijing.
North Korea and Russia signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in 2024 that includes a mutual defense clause. Military and political ties between the two countries have strengthened significantly, with North Korea deploying thousands of soldiers to fight in Russia's war in Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump also expressed interest last month in mending relations with Pyongyang, after talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un collapsed abruptly in 2019. In his second term, Trump has mentioned the possibility of meeting Kim again, though no formal meeting has been scheduled.
North Korea has not yet resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens, a group that once made up the majority of foreign visitors to the country.
According to analysts, while trade between North Korea and Russia mainly involves military supplies, exchanges between North Korea and China may include goods Pyongyang needs to develop its civilian economy.
