China and North Korea has decided strengthen relationship amid escalating conflict in the Middle East.
The two countries have decided to resume train services after six years, The Guardian reported.
Passenger train services between China and North Korea are to resume this week, six years after their suspension because of the Covid-19 pandemic, travel operators have said.
Train journeys between the two countries were halted in 2020 as strict border closures were imposed to prevent the virus spreading.
China has since fully reopened its borders, but North Korea has proceeded more slowly, though direct flights and train services with Russia resumed last year.
Travel agents for official ticketing booths in Beijing and the Chinese border city of Dandong said on Tuesday that Chinese people working and studying in North Korea were now able to buy train tickets to the diplomatically isolated nation, with the first service leaving on Thursday, March 12.
North Koreans working, studying and visiting family abroad were also able to buy tickets, they said. However, tourists are not yet eligible to buy tickets.
“It’s great to see the international train service resuming,” said Rowan Beard, a tours manager at Young Pioneer Tours. He confirmed his company, one of several foreign-run firms that specialises in travel to North Korea, could also organise tickets from Thursday.
“While it isn’t initially intended for tourists, it will provide another travel option once tourism to North Korea eventually returns, serving as an alternative to flying,” Beard said.
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun did not confirm the reports when asked at a media briefing on Tuesday.
South Korea’s unification ministry said in a statement, “We understand that the Pyongyang-Beijing international train service is set to resume operations on March 12, and we will continue to closely monitor related developments.”
China is historically North Korea’s biggest backer and a crucial lifeline for its moribund economy, though Pyongyang has drawn closer to Russia since the start of the Ukraine war.
