After being suspended on April 29 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, China-North Korea trans-border freight train services have been resumed following friendly consultations, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
The two sides will continue to enhance coordination to ensure safe and stable operation of the railway and make contributions to bilateral relations, ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at the routine press briefing.
A train loaded with goods was photographed on Monday morning crossing the China-North Korea Friendship Bridge, which connects Dandong in Northeast China’s Liaoning Province and North Korea’s Sinuiju, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.
It is good news for people doing trans-border business, though normal trade will still take time to recover, experts said.
A source familiar with trans-border trade told the Global Times on Monday that just after freight train operations resumed, the most urgently needed goods, such as medicine and other necessities, were transported. Such transportation is usually arranged via official channels.
The freight train service is extremely popular and private traders can file an application and wait for a slot on the train. Normal business can return in two to three months after the railway resumes operation, the source said.
The freight trains were suspended in August 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and were resumed on January 16, 2022 when both countries deemed the time appropriate.
But the route was halted again on April 29 after bilateral consultations as an outbreak in Dandong prompted stricter epidemic control restrictions. North Korea had also reported domestic outbreaks since May.
There have been no new cases reported in Dandong since mid-July and North Korea announced victory over COVID-19 on August 10. During the five-month hiatus, goods were transported via sea and resulted in a ship shortage, according to media reports.
Data released by Chinese Customs showed that China-North Korea bilateral trade slumped in May and June to around $20 million, but bounced back to $71 million in July and $90 million in August.
The resumption of freight train services will also boost the relevant businesses, including domestic land transportation such as those through trucks to Dandong, business insiders said.
(Global Times)
