North Korea, Russia to Open Road Bridge That Further Blocks China’s Access to Sea of Japan

The bridge stands near a rail bridge already blocking China’s access. It also enables Russia to exert more influence on the Korea Peninsula, analysts said.

An international passenger train travels on the Korea–Russia Friendship Bridge (Tumen River Railway Bridge), leaving North Korea (DPRK) and entering Russia, on July 15, 2014. Creative Commons

North Korea and Russia aim to soon open a road bridge over the Tumen River to connect the two countries directly, North Korea’s state media KCNA said on April 23.

But the Tumen also flows through China, so the bridge will further block China’s access to the Sea of Japan, with multiple implications on Northeast Asian geopolitics, analysts told The Epoch Times.