North Korea’s Kim crosses new bridge into China as trade ties warm

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday, Xinhua reported, crossing a newly opened bridge in a symbolic move seen as highlighting Beijing and Pyongyang’s push to expand trade ties.

Kim was accompanied during his visit by China’s fourth-highest-ranked official Wang Huning, who conveyed greetings from President Xi Jinping, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Kim arrived in Dandong via the New Yalu River Bridge connecting North Korea and China , a South Korean government official said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly.

The new bridge is expected to help move heavy equipment, raw materials and energy products that North Korea needs for development. Its official opening this month is the latest sign of warming ties between Beijing and Pyongyang, after two summits between their leaders in the past 13 months.

China, which fought alongside North Korea in the 1950-1953 Korean War, remains Pyongyang’s main economic and diplomatic backer and accounts for most of its official trade.

But North Korea’s deepening military ties with Russia since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine have led analysts to question whether Pyongyang is becoming less reliant on Beijing.

Kim’s trip nevertheless points to a renewed push by China and North Korea to bolster their economic relationship.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency had earlier reported that Kim was expected to return to North Korea after Saturday’s visit.

Footage from Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed Kim walking on the bridge, lined by people waving flags, towards North Korea.

Xinhua said Wang accompanied Kim to a Korean War memorial in Dandong, where the North Korean leader paid tribute to Chinese People’s Volunteer Army soldiers who fought alongside North Korea during the three-year conflict. Kim also toured a Dandong automobile factory , it said.

China and North Korea opened the 3 km (2 mile) New Yalu River Bridge, their most significant land border crossing , this month after a long delay, aiming to rejuvenate trade and commerce after years of strained ties and ‌pandemic-related disruptions.

Pan Yulong/Xinhua/Getty Images

“Kim has given his imprimatur to bilateral trade by crossing the New Yalu River Bridge to enter China,” said Christopher Green, a Korea specialist at Leiden University in the Netherlands, saying the delayed opening had shown how dysfunctional the relationship had become.

During a meeting on Saturday, Wang told Kim that China was ready to use the bridge’s opening to expand personnel exchanges and economic and trade cooperation, Xinhua said.

A visit by Kim now is consistent with the current phase of closer economic ties and more frequent high-level exchanges between China and North Korea, said Lu Chao, an expert in China-North Korea relations at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, a Chinese government think-tank in Shenyang.

“The opening of the bridge has resolved a major bottleneck in China-North Korea trade logistics,” Lu said. “With the logistics constraint eased, bilateral trade is likely to increase further.”

Kim’s last known visit to China was in September 2025, to attend the 80th Victory Day celebrations in Beijing, when he held a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi made a state visit to North Korea in June.

US President Donald Trump has been eager to jump-start talks with North Korea, but US and South Korean officials see fading chances of him meeting Kim this year, Reuters reported on Friday.

China hosts a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum next month in Shenzhen, which Trump is expected to attend.

据新华社报道，朝鲜领导人金正恩周六访问了中国边境城市丹东，他走过一座新开通的大桥，此举被视为北京和平壤努力扩大贸易关系的象征性举措。

据官方新华社报道，金正恩访问期间，中国排名第四的官员王沪宁陪同，并转达了习近平主席的问候。

一位不愿透露姓名的韩国政府官员表示，金正恩经由连接朝鲜和中国的新鸭绿江大桥抵达丹东，因为他没有被授权公开谈论此事。

这座新桥预计将有助于运输朝鲜发展所需的重型设备、原材料和能源产品。继过去13个月中两国领导人举行两次峰会之后，这座桥于本月正式通车，是北京和平壤关系升温的最新迹象。

中国曾在 1950-1953 年的朝鲜战争中与朝鲜并肩作战，至今仍是平壤的主要经济和外交支持者，占其官方贸易的大部分。

但自莫斯科 2022 年入侵乌克兰以来，朝鲜与俄罗斯的军事联系日益加深，这让分析人士质疑平壤是否正在减少对北京的依赖。

尽管如此，金正恩的访问表明中国和朝鲜正在加大力度加强两国的经济关系。

韩国联合通讯社此前报道称，金正恩预计将在周六访问结束后返回朝鲜。

中国中央电视台的画面显示，金正恩走在桥上，桥边站满了挥舞着旗帜的人们，他朝着朝鲜方向走去。

新华社报道称，王毅陪同金正恩前往丹东的朝鲜战争纪念碑，金正恩在那里向在三年朝鲜战争期间与朝鲜并肩作战的中国人民志愿军战士致敬。报道还称，金正恩参观了丹东一家汽车工厂。

经过长时间的延误，中国和朝鲜本月开通了全长 3 公里（2 英里）的新鸭绿江大桥，这是两国最重要的陆路边境口岸，旨在重振多年来紧张的关系和疫情相关干扰下的贸易和商业。

潘玉龙/新华社/盖蒂图片社

“金正恩通过新鸭绿江大桥进入中国，这相当于为双边贸易开了绿灯，”荷兰莱顿大学的韩国问题专家克里斯托弗·格林表示，并称大桥延迟开放表明两国关系已经变得多么不正常。

新华社报道称，王毅在周六的会晤中告诉金正恩，中国愿利用大桥开通扩大人员交流和经贸合作。

辽宁社会科学院（位于沈阳的中国政府智库）中朝关系专家卢超表示，金正恩此时的访问符合中朝之间当前更加紧密的经济联系和更加频繁的高层交往的阶段。

卢先生表示：“大桥的开通解决了中朝贸易物流的一个主要瓶颈。随着物流制约的缓解，双边贸易额有望进一步增长。”

据知，金正恩最近一次访问中国是在2025年9月，当时他出席了在北京举行的朝鲜战争胜利80周年庆祝活动，并与中国国家主席习近平举行了会晤。习近平于今年6月对朝鲜进行了国事访问。

路透社周五报道称，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普一直渴望重启与朝鲜的对话，但美国和韩国官员认为他今年与金正恩会面的可能性越来越小。

中国将于下个月在深圳主办亚太经合组织峰会，预计特朗普将出席。