North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday after crossing a newly opened bridge linking the two countries, a trip that came about a week after the bridge was officially opened.1,3,4
The bridge is the New Yalu River Bridge. The four-lane structure was completed in 2014, but it remained unused for 12 years because of a lack of connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side. Its opening deepens economic ties between China, North Korea's largest trading partner, and the nuclear-armed state, whose relations with Beijing have not always been smooth.1,3
Yonhap News Agency reported, citing a South Korean government source, that “Kim arrived in Dandong through the New Yalu River Bridge earlier in the day.” South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles affairs related to North Korea, and China's official Xinhua News Agency also said Kim had crossed the bridge and arrived in Dandong.1,4
In Dandong, Kim met Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of China's Communist Party and China's top political adviser. Wang conveyed President Xi Jinping's “greetings and best wishes to Kim,” Xinhua reported. The two toured a car factory together, and Wang then accompanied Kim to the bridge to send him off, according to Xinhua.3,4
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. Kim also said the visit was meant to memorialize those killed in the Korean War, according to Xinhua. North Korean state media did not immediately report on the visit, and the reports did not say how long Kim would remain in China or whether any agreements were signed.4
China and North Korea pledged to “strengthen strategic communication and cooperation to safeguard their sovereignty, security and development interests.” The two countries also vowed to expand people-to-people exchanges and economic and trade cooperation through the opening of the bridge. Experts said the bridge is expected to accommodate two-way traffic around the clock, including container shipments and heavy cargo trucks, and that its opening reflected the two countries' intent to expand trade.3,4
The visit appears to be timed to underscore the strength of Kim's ties with Beijing ahead of the October 25 anniversary of China's first major victory in the Korean War, which came days after Chinese troops crossed the Yalu River into North Korea in October 1950. Saturday's trip is Kim's sixth since he took power in late 2011 following the death of his father.4
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.4
Kim's last known visit to China was in September 2025, when he attended the 80th Victory Day celebrations in Beijing and held a summit with Xi. He also watched a military parade alongside President Vladimir Putin and other foreign leaders. Xi made a state visit to Pyongyang in June, when he expressed Beijing's willingness to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, agriculture, construction and technology, and Kim described ties with China as a top strategic priority.1,4
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 Putin's war in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for military and economic assistance. Kim's visit is his latest foreign policy move 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.”4
Kim has so far rebuffed a proposal from U.S. President Donald Trump to revive diplomacy between the two countries, which broke down in 2019 during Trump's first term. Kim's government has called for Washington to abandon its “hostile policy” and drop its 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 urged China to play a “constructive” role in resolving the standoff.4
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 summit in Shenzhen, China.4
