A new bridge linking China and North Korea opened Thursday after more than a decade of delay, signaling deeper ties between the two countries.

China's official Xinhua News Agency reported that a ceremony for the launch of the New Yalu River Bridge was held, and an on online video from state media outlet China News Service showed the bridge and trucks waiting on it adorned with the national flags of China and North Korea.

Beijing expected that the four-lane, 3-kilometer (1. 8-mile) crossing, which connects the northeastern Chinese city of Dandong to the North Korean city of Sinuiju, would further promote economic, trade and "people-to-people" exchanges.