Terminal will transport international passengers between China and North Korea, says Hunchun City.
Work is underway on the Hunchun International Bus Terminal, an all-new transportation hub which will take international passengers between China and North Korea, Hunchun city said last week. “The new terminal will cover an area of 34,300 square meters with a total estimated investment of 144.82 million yuan (USD21.5 million),” wrote the city’s official website, reporting that the opening ceremony was held on October 10.
The terminal is to be finished sometime next year and is adjacent to the recently built Hunchun Railway Station, located about 3.5 kilometers north of Hunchun city. “Hunchun International Bus Terminal will be connected to the Hunchun Railway Station…to further improve the urban transport network,” it said, adding that the passengers will be able to walk from the bus terminal to the railway station to transfer.
The new infrastructure is a significant addition to transport links in the area and the surrounding regions, along with the recently finished New Tumen River Bridge which connects China and North Korea.
Once completed, the terminal is to feature a three-story passenger building of 7500 square meters and 26,452 square meter parking lots.
As well as China-Russia and China-North Korea transportation, the terminal will also provide short-medium trips and inter-city travels between cities in the neighboring Heilongjiang and Liaoning provinces, China.
A South Korean researcher in China said the new terminal is part of the Chinese government’s “One belt, one road” policy to connect the region with transport and energy infrastructure. “Through this policy, China is trying to connect land-sea-air infrastructure in the border regions…to simplify the process of customs clearance,” Lee Chang-ju, a Ph.D. candidate at Fudan University told NK News. “Hunchun is one of the most representative cities affected by this policy.”
News of the new bus infrastructure comes shortly after the opening ceremony of the New Tumen River Bridge, which is expected to significantly increase trade between Beijing and Pyongyang when fully operational.
Lee said the construction of this new bus terminal and the new bridge were part of Beijing’s plans to expand political and economic influence in the region. “This region is where Beijing can reach East Sea (Sea of Japan)… it is their movement to expand economic influence on North Korea as well as Russia, two countries that are currently under the economic sanctions.”
Source: NK news