Kim Jong Un arrives in China via new Yalu River bridge as trade ties warm

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in the Chinese city of Dandong on 24 October after crossing the new bridge over the border river Yalu. Reuters and Associated Press reported the visit, also drawing on information from South Korea.

The bridge links Dandong in China with Sinuiju in North Korea. It opened to traffic earlier in October after a prolonged delay. The roughly three-kilometre crossing is intended to facilitate freight transport and trade between the two countries.

According to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, cited by international media, Chinese Premier Li Qiang travelled to Dandong. Yonhap did not report in this account that he personally welcomed Kim, so we do not present such an alleged meeting as a confirmed fact.

China remains North Korea's leading trading partner. The new overland route could ease deliveries, but its actual economic impact remains to be seen. The visit also comes amid Pyongyang's deepening relations with Moscow in recent years.

According to published reports, this is Kim's first visit to China since September 2025. It takes place on the eve of an anniversary of China's involvement in the Korean War.

Sources: Reuters, 24 October 2026; Associated Press, 24 October 2026; Yonhap, 24 October 2026.

Illustrative photograph: Chinese national flag, not a picture from the visit. Photographer: Dominic Kurniawan Suryaputra / Unsplash (Unsplash License).