China opens a high speed railway from Shenyang to Dandong on the North Korean border

China opened a new high-speed rail line to the North Korean border last Tuesday as Chinese officials inch ahead with plans to encourage trade with their erratic neighbor.

But some analysts see the new route more as a reflection of China's infrastructure-building programs and a demonstration of Beijing's "soft power" in the region rather than an expectation of an immediate, large surge in tourism and trade with its hermetic neighbor.

The 129-mile (207 km) route between Shenyang city in the northeast and the Chinese border city of Dandong will allow train travel at up to 156 mph (250 km/h) and cut the journey from 3 1/2 hours to 60 minutes, the official New China News Agency said in announcing the line's trial opening. Dandong is the key hub for trade and tourism between North Korea and China; more than 600 border trade enterprises are situated in Dandong and trade with North Korea accounts for 40% of the city's total trade volume.

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