🔻A new bridge connecting China and North Korea, 12 years after construction, was inaugurated.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the “new Yalu Bridge” will improve commercial relations with North Korea.

China is North Korea’s largest trading partner.

The new bridge connects the northeastern Chinese city of Dandong with the North Korean city of Sinuiju.

Construction of the three-kilometer bridge, which has four lanes for vehicles, began in 2011.

China completed the portion of the bridge on its side within three years.

But North Korea’s nuclear tests and UN sanctions halted progress on the project.