After Kim Jong-un's visit to China, North Korea has accelerated its opening-up efforts. The new Sino-North Korean bridge is about to open, and Lee Jae-myung regrets it.

Recently, the South Korean Foreign Minister made a special visit to China, one of the purposes being to find out how the Sino-North Korean relationship will develop after Kim Jong-un's recent visit to China.

In fact, the South Korean society has long sensed that the relationship between China and North Korea is continuously warming up. Especially with the approaching 80th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea, North Korea will hold a grand military parade in Pyongyang, and everyone is paying attention to how many "concrete" cooperation evidence between China and North Korea will emerge before this event.

Recent reports from South Korean media revealed that China has agreed to provide a large amount of refined sugar to North Korea on October 10, the day of the establishment of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Don't underestimate this material. Although sugar has become the "antithesis" of healthy food in China, it is a scarce strategic material in North Korea.

North Korea lacks refining capabilities and needs China to process it before exporting. The import of sugar does not violate the UN sanctions against North Korea because it is considered humanitarian aid.

North Korean media also revealed that specific plans for importing sugar have been issued domestically, and the transportation and foreign economic departments are arranging the transport. These details indicate that Sino-North Korean cooperation is accelerating.

A more significant indicator is the latest development of the new Dandong-Xinuiju New Yalu River Bridge. South Korean media found that both China and North Korea are intensifying the upgrading of customs facilities near the bridge.

The construction on the North Korean side of the complex has basically been completed, and it is expected to be ready by early November. Dandong is also preparing for the operation of the bridge, including testing night lighting, customs building shops, and others, with some tenants expressing willingness to move in.

This bridge was actually completed in 2014, but due to the delay in improving the roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side, it has not been officially opened for ten years. Now, these signs indicate that North Korea is preparing to further open its border to China, which would be a symbol of substantial progress in the relations between the two countries.

Officials in Sinuiju, North Korea, also stated that the upgrade of this bridge and customs facilities is not just about restoring trade, but also aims to improve the domestic economy and people's livelihood through economic exchanges with China.

After all, China's economic scale is huge. If North Korea can catch the "fast train" of China, domestic development can gain new opportunities. As the Sino-North Korean relationship continues to warm up, the one who is most anxious is South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.

Since taking office, Lee Jae-myung first visited Japan, then went to the United States, and refused to attend the Chinese 93rd military parade. Although the Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea, Yu Won-sik, led a delegation to attend, they could not directly meet with Kim Jong-un.

Compared to former President Park Geun-hye, even if she was conservative, she could withstand the pressure from the US and Japan and personally attended the military parade in Beijing in 2015. Lee Jae-myung, while verbally saying he wants to be friendly with China, refuses to face Kim Jong-un, showing his political stance clearly.

Seeing the warming of the Sino-North Korean relationship, Lee Jae-myung had no choice but to send South Korean Foreign Minister Zhao Hyun to China, hoping that China could help facilitate direct contact between North and South Korea.

However, from the moment he refused to attend the 93rd military parade and first visited Japan, it was destined that trying to please the US, Japan, and China at the same time would only result in neglecting one aspect.

If Lee Jae-myung truly values the US-South Korea and Japan-South Korea relations, he should let the US and Japan help achieve direct dialogue with North Korea. South Korea is so concerned about the movements of China and North Korea because every cooperation may affect the entire Northeast Asian situation.

As the anniversary of the Workers' Party approaches, North Korea will definitely use this opportunity to showcase the results of the cooperation between the two countries, sending signals of stability and friendliness to the domestic and international communities. The sugar provided by China and the upcoming opening of the bridge are clear indicators of the warming Sino-North Korean relationship.

This cooperation is not superficial; it is a comprehensive interaction of people's livelihood and economy, indicating that both countries are carefully maintaining their traditional friendship and moving towards a closer relationship.

Now, everyone is watching the developments after the completion of North Korea's customs facilities in early November. Once this bridge, which has been idle for ten years, opens, it will not only change the border scenery of Dandong and Sinuiju, but also mark a new stage in the Sino-North Korean relationship.

For the North Korean people, the sweet sugar and the smooth bridge are concrete hopes for a better life. For the relations between the two countries, these practical cooperations are more convincing than any slogan.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7552051565410943551/

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