Chinese Government provides RMB 3.6 million grant for Old Tumen River Bridge Renovation Project (Linked to Record ID#46978)

In 2010, the Chinese Government provided an RMB 3.6 million ($528,526) grant to the North Korean Government for the Old Tumen River Bridge Renovation Project.

The purpose of the project was to renovate a bridge (known in Chinese as 图们江大桥) over the Tumen River, which was constructed in 1936, that connects Hunchun City, Jilin Province, China, with Sonbong County, Rason, North Korea. The project commenced on March 15, 2010 and was completed on June 14, 2010.

The bridge serves as a gateway to Pier No. 1 at North Korea’s Rajin Port.

On March 10, 2010, the Chinese state-controlled Global Times reported that the North Korean Government agreed to lease Pier No. 1 at Rajin Port to the Chuangli Group for 10-years.

The Chuangli Group, based at Dalian in China’s Liaoning province, had previously invested $3.6 million in 2009 to rebuild Pier No. 1 and constructed a 40,000-square-meter warehouse at the port.

The leasing agreement prompted some concern that China might be seeking to establish its first naval base in North Korea with access to the Sea of Japan. In 2014, the Chinese Government financed a New Tumen River Bridge Construction Project (see Record ID#46978).