North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first visit to China in more than a year, inaugurating a new bridge and showing gratitude for support.

Oct. 24 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first visit to China in more than a year, inaugurating a new bridge between the two countries and expressing gratitude for China's decades of support.

The new bridge crosses the New Yalu River to Dandong, China, on the border between the two countries. The city is a port on the Yellow Sea.

Kim met with Wang Huning, a senior Chinese party official. The two commemorated the 76 years since China joined North Korea in the Korea War, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.

Kim and Wang toured a car factory and promised to strengthen their nations' friendship.

"We are grateful for China's longstanding support and help for the socialist cause of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," The New York Times reported Kim said. "The prospects for cooperation between our two sides are extremely broad."

Wang conveyed "the cordial greetings and best wishes of General Secretary Xi Jinping and President Xi Jinping," Xinhua said.

The bridge, which spans 1.9 miles, opened in mid-October, 12 years after it was built by China. North Korean delays involving access roads and customs facilities halted the bridge's completion. In September, North Korea and Russia opened the first road bridge across their border, The Guardian reported.

The new bridge's opening has already increased North Korean imports from China.

This was Kim's sixth visit to China. His most recent was in September 2025.