China has built two high-speed railways along the border with North Korea. Fast trains can now reach Dandong on the Apnok River near North Korea and Hunchun on the Duman River, the entrance to the North's Rajin-Sonbong Special Economic Zone.

The high-speed rail linking Shenyang with Dandong in Liaoning Province was finished late last month and the line between Changchun and Hunchun in Jilin Province was opened on Sunday.

The 207-km line between Shenyang and Dandong has shortened the travel time from three hours and 30 minutes to just an hour and 10 minutes. And the 360-km Changchun-Hunchun line passes through major cities in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture. It is expected to appeal particularly to tourists because it passes by Mt. Baekdu.

It could also boost economic cooperation between China, North Korea and Russia. Hunchun lies at the vertex of the three countries, linking the North's Rajin-Sonbong economic zone with Russia's Khasan.