China has opened a new ocean navigation line linking one of its port cities in the east with Inchon, the second largest port city of the Republic of Korea.
  
Lianyungang, located in east China's Jiangsu Province, is known as one of the two ends of the Eurasian continental bridge, together with Rotterdam of Netherlands.
  
Lianyungang is 393 sea miles (about 452 miles) from Inchon. The new nautical navigation line applies de luxe passenger-freighters with satellite communication, clinic, swimming pool, duty free shop, and public place of entertainment.

The passenger-freighter runs regularly. It sets out from Lianyungang each Monday and Thursday and from Inchon each Tuesday and Saturday.

China's first navigation line to the ROK was opened in September, 1990, almost two years before the two countries established diplomatic relations. The first line was 90 sea miles (about 103.6 miles) between Weihai City of east China's Shandong Province and Inchon, the shortest nautical distance between the two countries.

Following Weihai, Dalian, Yingkou, Dandong cities of northeast China's Liaoning Province neighboring the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Rizhao City of Shandong Province, opened navigation lines linking Inchon in succession.

The navigation service mainly aims at business people shuttling between the two countries besides a smaller number of passengers visiting their relatives or friends.

Sino-ROK trade relations have witnessed skyrocketing progress since 1992. The trade volume rose to 90 billion US dollars in 2004 from five billion US dollars in 1992. China has become the biggest trade partner of the ROK.

The biggest trade surplus of the ROK in 2004, which stood at 20.2 billion US dollars, came from its trade with China, according to the official statistics released by the ROK on January 11. 

(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2005)