The 80-year-old bridge is China’s primary trade route to North Korea with the road-and-rail Friendship Bridge supplying the pariah state with 70 to 80 per cent of its goods.
Relations between China and North Korea have become strained because of Beijing’s implementation of sanctions against North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes.
And the closure is thought to be a likely sign Beijing is putting pressure on the Pyongyang regime over its nuclear program and missile tests.
Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, or China-North Korea Friendship Bridge, across the Yalu River at the Chinese city of Dandong will be closed while North Korea repairs the approach road on its side.
Geng said that “after the maintenance, the bridge will reopen for passage,” but gave no date for the reopening or other details.
Sung-Yoon Lee, a professor at the Fletcher School at Tufts University said: “I am sure that this is one not so subtle way to show its displeasure with North Korea.”
The closure will supposedly allow North Korea time to repair its side of the bridge after a November photo showed the poor quality of the road surface on North Korean side of structure.
China was urged to step up economic pressure against Kim over his nuclear program and long-range missile tests during President Trump’s 12-day trip to Asia earlier this month.
Tensions have ratcheted in the region as the hermit kingdom strives towards long-range nuclear weapons.
Beijing is North Korea’s only significant ally but has grown increasingly frustrated after a series of reckless missile tests.
It comes just days after Air China permanently suspended flights from Beijing to Pyongyang.
The country previously halted all trips to Pyongyang from border city Dandong.
Last month, Kim ordered all citizens working in China to come home amid fears of nuclear war.