N. Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits China to inaugurate a new cross-border bridge

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited China on Saturday, crossing the newly opened bridge and inaugurating it as he called for expanded cooperation with Beijing. In Dandong, he met Chinese Communist Party Standing Committee member Wang Huning, and the two toured a car factory. Kim said the visit also commemorated those killed in the Korean War. The bridge is expected to accommodate round-the-clock two-way traffic, including container shipments and heavy cargo trucks.

Kim said North Korea was ready to work with China to carry forward their historical friendship and expand practical cooperation, Xinhua reported.

The visit was Kim’s sixth to China since he took power in late 2011 and his first in a year.

The visit came ahead of the Oct. 25 anniversary of China’s first major victory in the Korean War, days after Chinese troops crossed the Yalu River into North Korea in October 1950.

Fighting in the Korean War ended with a 1953 armistice, leaving the peninsula technically at war.

South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers last month that it saw a 50% possibility of a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim on the sidelines of next month’s APEC summit in Shenzhen, China.

Published Oct 25, 2026 1:07 am KST

Updated Oct 25, 2026 1:11 am KST

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands ahead of their summit in Pyongyang, June 8. Courtesy of China's foreign ministry

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited China on Saturday, inaugurating a new bridge that connects the two countries and saying he hoped to expand cooperation with his powerful neighbor.

Kim’s visit to China is his latest move in an increasingly assertive foreign policy as he seeks to align Pyongyang with Beijing and Moscow in a united front against the United States under what he portrays as a “new Cold War.” It's his first visit in a year.

Kim arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong Saturday after crossing the newly opened bridge , according to South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles affairs related to North Korea, and China's official Xinhua News Agency.

Both sides promised to strengthen cooperation

He met with Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of China’s Communist Party. The two toured a car factory, and promised to strengthen the bilateral relationship.

Kim said his country “stands ready to work with China to carry forward their historical friendship and expand practical cooperation, thereby delivering tangible benefits to the peoples of both countries,” Xinhua said.

Wang then accompanied Kim to the bridge to send him off, according to Xinhua. North Korean state media did not immediately report on Kim’s visit.

New bridge was built to help expand trade between the countries

Experts said the opening of the New Yalu River Bridge this month was a key symbol of strengthening ties between North Korea and China and reflected their intent to expand trade, as it is expected to accommodate two-way traffic around the clock, including container shipments and heavy cargo trucks.

Kim has recently sought to strengthen ties with China, the North’s traditional main ally and economic lifeline, after years of prioritizing ties with Russia. He sent thousands of troops and conventional weapons to support President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine , possibly in exchange for military and economic assistance.

Kim's visit timed to key battle anniversary in Korean War with China

Kim’s latest visit to China is his sixth since taking power in late 2011 following the death of his father. The visit appears to be timed to underscore the strength of his ties with Beijing ahead of the Oct. 25 anniversary of China’s first major victory in the Korean War, which was days after Chinese troops crossed the Yalu River into North Korea in October 1950.

The war began with North Korea’s surprise attack on the South in June 1950, prompting a U.N.-led coalition headed by the United States to intervene and push back the offensive. North Korea was backed primarily by Chinese forces, with assistance from the then-Soviet Union’s air force, before fighting ended with a 1953 armistice that left the peninsula technically at war.

Kim said his visit on Saturday was also to memorialize those killed in the war, according to Xinhua.

Chinese President Xi Jinping traveled to Pyongyang in June for a meeting with Kim. During their summit , Xi expressed Beijing’s willingness to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, agriculture, construction and technology, while Kim described ties with China as a top strategic priority.

Kim last visited Beijing in September 2025, when he met with Xi and watched a military parade alongside Putin and other foreign leaders.

Kim has maintained a hard line toward Seoul and has so far rebuffed a proposal from U.S. President Donald Trump to revive their diplomacy, which broke down in 2019 during Trump’s first term. Kim’s government has called for Washington to abandon its “hostile policy” and drop demands for the North’s denuclearization as a precondition for renewed talks.

South Korea’s liberal government, which favors engagement with the North, hopes renewed talks between Washington and Pyongyang will thaw inter-Korean relations, and has also urged China to play a “constructive” role in resolving the standoff. Seoul's spy agency told lawmakers last month that it saw a 50% possibility of a meeting between Trump and Kim on the sidelines of next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, summit in Shenzhen, China.

“From Seoul’s perspective, if North Korea focuses more on economic development than military buildup and threats, that would be positive for diplomacy and security,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

“But if Kim can extract ever more benefits from China and Russia, it is unclear what Seoul could offer that would be worth the political risks Pyongyang attaches to exchanges with a more prosperous, globalized, and free Korea.”

朝鲜领导人金正恩周六访问中国，途经新近开通的大桥并为其揭幕，同时呼吁扩大与北京的合作。在丹东，他会见了中共中央常委王沪宁，两人参观了一家汽车工厂。金正恩表示，此次访问也是为了缅怀在朝鲜战争中牺牲的将士。这座大桥预计将实现全天候双向通行，包括集装箱运输和重型货车通行。

据新华社报道，金正恩表示，朝鲜愿与中国一道，发扬历史友谊，扩大务实合作。

这是金正恩自2011年底掌权以来第六次访问中国，也是他一年来的首次访问。

此次访问正值10月25日中国在朝鲜战争中取得首次重大胜利纪念日之前。1950年10月，中国军队渡过鸭绿江进入朝鲜北部几天后，中国军队取得了第一次重大胜利。

朝鲜战争于 1953 年以停战协定结束，从技术上讲，朝鲜半岛仍处于战争状态。

韩国情报机构上个月告诉国会议员，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普和金正恩下个月在中国深圳举行的亚太经合组织峰会期间举行会晤的可能性为 50%。

发布于2026年10月25日凌晨1点07分（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月25日凌晨1点11分（韩国标准时间）

6月8日，朝鲜领导人金正恩（右）与中国国家主席习近平在平壤举行峰会前握手。图片由中国外交部提供。

朝鲜领导人金正恩周六访问中国，为连接两国的新桥揭幕，并表示希望扩大与这个强大邻国的合作。

金正恩此次访华是他日益强硬的外交政策中的最新举措，他试图在所谓的“新冷战”中，将平壤与北京和莫斯科联合起来，组成对抗美国的统一战线。这是他一年来的首次访华。

据韩国统一部（负责处理朝鲜事务）和中国官方新华社报道，金正恩周六经由新开通的大桥抵达中国边境城市丹东。

双方承诺加强合作

他会见了中共中央常委王沪宁。两人参观了一家汽车工厂，并承诺加强双边关系。

新华社报道称，金正恩表示，朝鲜“愿与中国一道，发扬历史友谊，拓展务实合作，为两国人民带来切实利益”。

据新华社报道，王毅随后陪同金正恩前往桥上送行。朝鲜官方媒体尚未就金正恩的此次访问进行报道。

修建新桥是为了促进两国之间的贸易往来。

专家表示，本月新鸭绿江大桥的开通是加强朝鲜和中国之间关系的重要象征，反映了两国扩大贸易的意图，因为该桥预计将全天候容纳双向交通，包括集装箱运输和重型货车。

在多年优先发展与俄罗斯的关系之后，金正恩近期寻求加强与中国——朝鲜传统主要盟友和经济命脉——的关系。他向俄罗斯派遣了数千名士兵和常规武器，支持普京总统在乌克兰的战争，这或许是为了换取军事和经济援助。

金正恩此次访问正值朝鲜战争中一场重要战役纪念日之际。

金正恩此次访华是他自2011年底其父去世后掌权以来的第六次访问。此次访问似乎意在凸显他与北京的紧密关系，尤其是在10月25日中国在朝鲜战争中取得首次重大胜利的纪念日之前。1950年10月，中国军队渡过鸭绿江进入朝鲜，数日后便取得了这场胜利。

朝鲜战争始于1950年6月朝鲜对韩国的突袭，促使以美国为首的联合国领导的联军介入并击退了朝鲜的进攻。朝鲜主要依靠中国军队的支持，并得到了当时苏联空军的援助。战争最终以1953年的停战协定结束，但从技术上讲，朝鲜半岛仍处于战争状态。

据新华社报道，金正恩表示，他周六的访问也是为了悼念在战争中丧生的人们。

今年6月，中国国家主席习近平访问平壤，与金正恩举行会晤。会晤期间，习近平表示北京愿扩大中朝在贸易、农业、建筑和科技领域的双边合作，金正恩则表示，与中国的关系是朝鲜最重要的战略优先事项之一。

金正恩上一次访问北京是在2025年9月，当时他会见了习近平，并与普京和其他外国领导人一起观看了阅兵式。

金正恩对首尔一直采取强硬立场，迄今为止拒绝了美国总统特朗普提出的重启朝美外交的提议。朝美外交在特朗普第一任期内的2019年破裂。金正恩政府呼吁华盛顿放弃“敌对政策”，并放弃将朝鲜无核化作为重启谈判的先决条件。

韩国自由派政府倾向于与朝鲜接触，希望华盛顿和平壤重启对话能够缓和朝韩关系，并敦促中国在解决僵局中发挥“建设性”作用。首尔情报机构上个月告诉国会议员，他们认为特朗普和金正恩在下个月于中国深圳举行的亚太经合组织（APEC）峰会期间会晤的可能性为50%。

“从首尔的角度来看，如果朝鲜将更多精力放在经济发展而不是军事建设和威胁上，这对外交和安全将是积极的，”首尔梨花女子大学教授李福·伊斯利表示。

“但如果金正恩能够从中国和俄罗斯获得更多利益，那么首尔能够提供什么，才值得平壤承担与一个更加繁荣、全球化和自由的韩国进行交流的政治风险，这一点尚不清楚。”