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Why a tiny river on Russia’s border tests China’s ties with Kim Jong-un

The Tumen River has resurfaced as one of the big issues for keen observers of relations between China and North Korea but after the leaders…

By Samantha Johnson / June 12, 2026
The Tumen River has resurfaced as one of the big issues for keen observers of relations between China and North Korea but after the leaders of the two countries met this week, there was no mention of it in the official statements after the summit.

The river is a natural border between China, North Korea and Russia, and a narrow strip of it that runs between North Korea and Russia blocks Chinese access to open waters.

Beijing has long tried to convince its two neighbours to open the waterway to Chinese traffic and just last month there were small positive signs from Moscow.

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But the silence in the statements after this week’s summit points to continued wariness in the North Korean and Russian capitals of Beijing’s influence in the region, analysts say.

Since ceding territory that includes Primorsky Krai to the Russian empire in 1860, Beijing has tried to pursue direct access to the Sea of Japan via the Tumen River, which is called Duman or Tuman River in the Koreas.

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