Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, answering a reporter's question on October 14, said China and the DPRK had agreed that the New Yalu River Bridge would formally open on October 15. According to China News Service, the two sides will hold a joint opening ceremony the same day. The location, attendees and timing of the ceremony were not given in that announcement.

Mao described the two countries as friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers and the bridge as an important connectivity facility. She said the opening would further promote bilateral economic and trade exchanges and personnel exchanges, and improve the well-being of both peoples. This is the Chinese side's official position; whether Pyongyang has issued its own statement has not been confirmed.

A bridge that took 12 years to open

Radio Free Asia reports that the bridge links Dandong in China with Sinuiju in North Korea, runs about 3 kilometers as a four-lane road bridge, and was structurally completed in 2014. China's government paid for the span, but a dispute over financing the North Korean-side roads and customs facilities kept it shut for years. Work resumed in January 2025 after Chinese firms agreed to invest.

July satellite imagery showed most North Korean customs buildings structurally complete, with paving, lane marking and site cleanup still outstanding. Reports also mentioned bus trial runs on June 28. The opening announcement suggests preparations have wrapped up, but operating details such as cargo clearance and passenger procedures have not been made public.

Likely impact on trade

RFA said roughly 70 percent of China-North Korea trade now crosses the aging Friendship Bridge built in the Japanese colonial era, and experts expect cargo volumes to multiply once the new bridge opens. How actual goods and volumes change under the sanctions framework is uncertain. South Korea, the United States and others have stressed enforcement of international sanctions on North Korea, so readings of post-opening trade patterns may diverge. Beijing frames the opening as a step for friendship and better livelihoods.