Kim Jong-un has crossed a bridge into China, which is either a historic diplomatic gesture or the world's most literal metaphor for reaching out to a neighbour. The North Korean leader arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday after inaugurating the New Yalu River Bridge, according to South Korea's unification ministry and China's official Xinhua news agency.

Upon arrival, Kim met Wang Huning, a member of the standing committee of China's Communist party. The two toured a car factory - because nothing says geopolitics like a showroom floor - and promised to strengthen the bilateral relationship. Kim said his country "stands ready to work with China to carry forward their historical friendship and expand practical cooperation, thereby delivering tangible benefits to the peoples of both countries," according to Xinhua. Wang then accompanied Kim back to the bridge to send him off, a gesture that is either chivalrous or a subtle reminder of who built the thing.

The timing appears designed to underscore Kim's ties with Beijing ahead of the 25 October anniversary of China's first major victory in the Korean war, which came days after Chinese troops crossed the Yalu River into North Korea in October 1950. Nothing says modern friendship like commemorating a 75-year-old military crossing with a brand-new road bridge.

Japan's Kyodo news agency reported Saturday that traffic controls had been imposed around the bridge and near a museum about China's role in the war, and that hotel bookings nearby had been restricted. Diplomatic sources told the agency the measures were linked to a visit by a senior North Korean official - proving that even in the age of Instagram, some things still require a traffic cone and a closed hotel.

The 3km bridge opened in mid-October, a full 12 years after China finished building it, having been held up by delays on the North Korean side. In early September, North Korea and Russia opened the first road bridge across their own short border, leaving Pyongyang newly linked by road to its main backers. It's a connectivity boom that would make a telecom CEO weep with envy.

This trip is Kim's sixth visit to China and his first since September 2025, when he attended a military parade in Beijing alongside Chinese president Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. Xi visited Pyongyang in June, his first trip there in seven years - a gap that suggests even strong friendships have busy calendars.

Relations with South Korea, meanwhile, have deteriorated. Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, has issued about 10 statements criticising Seoul since late September - a frequency South Korea's unification ministry has called unusual - and has also announced plans to resume loudspeaker broadcasts at the border within days. Nothing says "we should talk" like a wall of speakers.

Xi will host the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen on 18-19 November, which has fuelled speculation about a meeting between Kim and Donald Trump. Reuters reported on Friday, however, that US and South Korean officials see little chance of Kim meeting the US president this year - dashing hopes of a sequel to the diplomatic bromance that nobody asked for but everyone covered.