North Korea tension fails to halt building of bridge to China
The construction of a major new bridge connecting North Korea to China is proceeding as planned despite escalating tensions on the peninsula.
The Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge crossing the Yalu River Photo: AFP
The new bridge will link border cities in both North
Korea and China over the Amnok River – also known as the Yalu River
– and has been hailed as a symbol of close economic ties between the two
neighbours.
The showcase project, which is being payrolled by China at a cost of £235m
(2.22 billion Chinese yuan), is due to be completed next year.
Despite recent events on the peninsula, construction work, which will link the
North Korean city of Sinuiju to China's Dancong, was under way as scheduled
this week, according to reports from Yonhap news.
However, as tensions continue to escalate in the region, observers will be
closely watching the development of the bridge due to its status as a symbol
of friendship between China and North Korea.
When construction work was first started at the end of 2010. North Korea's
official news agency KCNA described the bridge as "demonstrating once
again the great vitality and invincible might of the DPRK-China friendship
steadily growing stronger.
"The bridge will be successfully built as a symbol of the DPRK-China friendship and a structure of the two peoples." China has long been North Korea's main ally and trading partner, providing most of its food, fuel, weapons and industrial machinery, but there are growing signs that it is increasingly losing patience with its renegade neighbour.
In recent months, Pyongyang has caused growing concern in Beijing with its nuclear tests, rocket launches and bellicose rhetoric.
In response, China has voted to support sanctions imposed by the United Nations in opposition of its nuclear programme as well as urged dialogue between North and South Korea.
"The bridge will be successfully built as a symbol of the DPRK-China friendship and a structure of the two peoples." China has long been North Korea's main ally and trading partner, providing most of its food, fuel, weapons and industrial machinery, but there are growing signs that it is increasingly losing patience with its renegade neighbour.
In recent months, Pyongyang has caused growing concern in Beijing with its nuclear tests, rocket launches and bellicose rhetoric.
In response, China has voted to support sanctions imposed by the United Nations in opposition of its nuclear programme as well as urged dialogue between North and South Korea.
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North Korea tension fails to halt building of bridge to China
This just adds to the paradox of the actual relationship of China and North Korea. Like all
long term relationships they tend to be very complicated on a variety of levels.
I wrote about this in: The Paradox of North Korea and China
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