A 30-seat bus belonging to a North Korean trading company is seen crossing the Chinese side of the New Yalu River Bridge toward Sinuiju, North Pyongan province, around 2 p.m. on June 27. | Image: Daily NK

Heavy rain in Sinuiju has disrupted cross-border cargo truck traffic between North Korea and China, further cooling Chinese investment sentiment that had been building around the anticipated opening of the New Yalu River Bridge, a China-funded crossing linking Sinuiju and Dandong that has stood largely unused since its completion in 2014.

Cargo trucks traveling between Dandong in China’s Liaoning province and Sinuiju in North Korea’s North Pyongan province stopped running for more than two days starting Aug. 24, a source in North Korea told Daily NK on Friday.

“Trucks that had entered North Korea before Aug. 24 could not return to China, and new trucks could not enter either,” the source said. “There is talk that the cause was a problem in Sinuiju with processing, transporting or storing cargo.”

The exact cause of the suspension has not been officially confirmed, but Chinese trading circles believe it is likely directly linked to recent flooding in Sinuiju caused by heavy rain.

Daily NK previously reported that heavy rain in Sinuiju overwhelmed the city’s weak drainage system, flooding low-lying areas and cutting off electricity and water supplies in some neighborhoods.

Local observers say the low-lying Apkang and Yokjon neighborhoods, which sit near the North Korea-China trade route, may also have seen roads and buildings flooded. Trade and vehicle traffic were likely halted temporarily to prevent further damage during the unloading, storage and transport of cargo, according to the assessment.

Investment mood turns cold

Notably, the incident is also weighing on investment sentiment toward Sinuiju, which had been rising in recent months.

“Businesspeople already knew Sinuiju was geographically vulnerable to flooding, but repeated flood damage like this inevitably changes their thinking,” the source said. “Just as things seemed to be going well, the uncontrollable variable of natural disaster resurfaced and threw cold water on the investment mood.”

The source added, “Many people had shown interest in the idea of developing the surrounding area into an international economic zone once the New Yalu River Bridge opens. But after this incident, there is a growing sense that there are problems that need to be resolved before questions like when the bridge will open or where to invest.”

Among Chinese businesspeople, a growing view holds that simply signing contracts with North Korea and building factories or warehouses is not enough to guarantee stability, and that North Korea must first upgrade its infrastructure to withstand flooding.

“There is growing concern that without protective construction work, such as raising the ground level with soil or rock fill and installing proper waterproofing and drainage systems, a single heavy rain could cause serious damage,” the source said. “Businesspeople have also grown more alert to natural disasters after seeing a string of sudden flood damage in border regions, including recent flooding in Nepal.”

The repeated flooding in Sinuiju is once again highlighting the city’s geographic limitations and weak infrastructure. As flood risk emerges as a major variable for Chinese businesspeople who had shown interest in investing in North Korea, attention is turning to what impact this will have on development around the New Yalu River Bridge, an area that had drawn attention amid expanding North Korea-China customs trade.

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Reporting from inside North Korea

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