Chinese Government provides RMB 280 million grant for Jian-Manpo Bridge Border Facility Construction Project

On May 10, 2012, Chinese Ambassador to North Korea Liu Hongcai and North Korea’s Deputy Foreign Minister Park Gil-Yon formally signed an agreement on the ‘Joint Construction, Management and Maintenance of the Ji’an-Manpo Jiehe Highway Bridge’ in Pyongyang.

The project was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission of China and financed by China’s central government and Chinese provincial governments.

The Ji'an municipal government reported in 2015 that the total cost was RMB 451 million, and that the North Korean Government had already provided $25.8 million in support of the project. The amount of Chinese Government funding that was provided for the construction of the bridge is unknown.

The main bridge and the approach bridge of the Jiehe Highway Bridge (also known as the Jian-Manpo Bridge and the Ji'an-Manpo Bridge) was to be constructed by the North Korean side and the Chinese approach bridge was to be constructed by the Chinese side.

The International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China was responsible for project implementation.

In conjunction with this effort to build the Ji’an-Manpo Jiehe Highway Bridge, a ‘road port’ (also known as a border checkpoint) project was undertaken.

The purpose of the Jian-Manpo Bridge Border Facility Construction Project was to construct a border facility at the Manpo-Jian railroad crossing in Chagang province (exact locational coordinates: (41.155090, 126.273282).

The facility covers an area of ​​10.28 hectares and consists of a freight classification yard with approximately four tracks; a passenger terminal with four tracks; two storage/holding yards – one with four tracks (tank cars) and the other with six tracks (for passenger and freight cars); and large locomotive and rail car repair and servicing shops consisting of a repair building, roundhouse, turntable, thermal plant, and several support buildings.

The Manpo-Jian border facility and railroad crossing is an important connection between China and the North Korean industrial cities of Kanggye and Pyorha-ri, and Chonchonall of which are involved in military-related production. The project commenced in September 2015 and was completed in December 2018.

In January 2019, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the DPRK’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed an exchange of documents to mark the official opening of the border checkpoint. The border checkpoint was then opened to the public on April 8, 2019.

The construction of the border checkpoint reportedly cost RMB 280 million and was fully financed by the Chinese Government.