The contents of this article are written with authoritative materials and personal opinions. The source of the literature has been marked at the end of the article, so please know.
On the edge of the Duck Green River in the east of Liaoning, a new Duck Green River Bridge with a cost of RMB 2.2 billion has been standing quietly for 11 years.
The modern two-way and four-way bridge, designed at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour, can carry thousands of vehicles per day, but has not been put into use since its completion in 2014.
However, just recently, this bridge, known as "the biggest unfinished project in Northeast China", suddenly showed signs of vigorous activities.
On September 2, General Secretary of the DPRK Labour Party and State Chairman Kim Jong-un arrived in Beijing to attend the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese people's war against Japan and the world anti-fascist war.
This is his second visit to China after six years, and he Participation in major multilateral diplomatic activities for the first time。
During his visit to China, Kim Jong-un held talks and friendship activities with the Chinese side.Kim Jong-un expressed sincere gratitude to the Chinese side and wished China to endless prosperity and enhance the well-being of the people.
September 17th, China's ambassador to the DPRK, Wang Aai, said at a meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister of the DPRK in the embassy that the highest leaders of the two parties reached a series of consensus on consolidating the development of good relations between the DPRK and China.It indicated the direction and drawn a blueprint for the development of China-North Korea relations.
The New Duck Green River Bridge connects China's Dandong and North Korea's New Yue, with a total length of 3030 meters. The project began construction in December 2010 and was completed in October 2014, but has not been put into use for various reasons.
Things have changed significantly recently. Korean media reported on September 18 that, After the summit, the construction process of the New Duck Green River Bridge seems to be accelerating, and is likely to be put into service by the end of the year.
On the Chinese side, the bridge road has been re-layed, night lighting equipment has also entered the deployment phase, and the Chinese customs building on the Dandong side has also been carried out maintenance, replacing broken glass windows and so on.
Commercial satellite photos show that on the North Korean side there are also lifts and trucks entering. The building material is placed on the side of the road, and it is said that the completion of the complex construction is expected to be fully completed in early November.
At present, the only land route connecting China and the DPRK is the China-DPRK Friendship Bridge built in 1943. The road part of this old bridge is so narrow that it can only pass trucks under 20 tons, and it has to be released in one direction.
Every morning at 7 a.m., vehicles on both sides of the bridge must wait in the center of the bridge, until the officials of both sides complete a brief entrance ceremony, in order to turn over the bridge.
The railway part is more troublesome. China uses a standard track of 1435 mm, North Korea is a broad track of 1520 mm, and every train to the Danish port has to stop and change rounds, One trip down and down the light shift will take two hours, and the average daily freight volume will be 1.2 million tons.
The design capacity of the new Duck Green River Bridge is far superior to the old bridge, and it is expected to compress the customs time of goods from an average of 6 hours to 1 hour, significantly improving the logistics efficiency.
Businesses in Danton have long smelled the opportunity.In front of the New Duck Green River Bridge, the 24-story commercial building that has been unemployed for years has been restarted and is undergoing internal renovation, andly there are traders who have expressed their willingness to lease.
A local coffee shop owner said: "This bridge has not been opened to traffic for ten years after being repaired, but I have been here for two years, and it has finally become lively recently!"
The surrounding area is forming a new business district plan. Some local entrepreneurs predict: “After the end of the two sessions in March, there may be a more clear opening schedule.”
The owners of the everyday goods business have begun to consult the customs process of the bridge, and everyone is looking forward to doing business in North Korea after the bridge is opened.
China-Korea trade accounts for more than 90% of North Korea's total foreign trade, of which 70% passes through the Dandong port.Once the new bridge is opened, the people of the two countries will travel to the two countries more conveniently, and economic exchanges between the two sides will also increase.
South Korean media also revealed that China has agreed to provide large amounts of sugar to North Korea on the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Labour Party on October 10. From the end of this month to the next month, approximately 1,90,000 tons of sugar were intensely imported.
These sugars were refined because of North Korea’s lack of refining equipment and technical capabilities that would be used directly for people’s livelihoods.
The warming of Sino-DPRK relations has aroused widespread concern in the international community. On September 17th, South Korean Foreign Minister Zhao Xian went to Beijing specially, saying that China is very important to promote the development of China-ROK relations.
North Korea’s contacts with Russia have also increased significantly over the past year.There has been observation that North Korea has provided military supplies to Russia, while Russia may provide energy, technical support and diplomatic assistance.
This trend is gradually forming a pattern of strategic interaction around the three sides.Faced with the continued increase of sanctions pressure and geopolitical containment from the West, North Korea clearly no longer hopes to engage in dialogue with the United States and Japan, instead relying on China and Russia to build a new system of external ties.
The steel cables of the new Yalu River Bridge glow silver blue in the sun, which is in sharp contrast to the broken Yalu River bridge next to it, which was blown up in 1951. One is a modernization project that has not been opened to traffic, and the other is a historical site that witnessed the war.
Danton’s merchants are looking forward to it, and North Korea’s New York City is waiting for it to boost its economy.The silent decade of steel giant dragon is waiting for the first truck to cross the bridge and open a new chapter in China’s economic and trade exchanges.
References:
Kim Jong-un arrives in Beijing: "I am pleased to visit China again after six years" 2025-09-02 21:21 PM Source: China News Network
China's Ambassador to North Korea Wang Aai Army Meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Park Min Hoon 2025-09-18 09:09 PM Source: Interface News
South Korean Foreign Minister: China is very important 2025-09-17 15:25 PM Source: Global Times