BEIJING, Dhu-AlQa'dah 16, 1436, Aug 31, 2015, SPA -- China will open a high-speed rail line to the North Korean border on Thursday, , the latest effort to boost economic ties despite tension between the countries, Reuters cited state news agency Xinhua as saying. The line, under construction since 2010, will run 207 km (127 miles) from Shenyang to the border city of Dandong, which faces North Korea across the Yalu River, and will shorten the train journey from 3 1/2 hours to just over one hour, Xinhua said. The new link will "raise the region's economic competitiveness", the report cited an unnamed railway official saying. As much as 80 percent of trade between China and North Korea passes through Dandong, which is near one of North Korea's special economic zones on Hwanggumpyong island. --SPA 13:03 LOCAL TIME 10:03 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w