China's involvement in road bridge construction across Tuman River by Russia, N. Korea not discussed - senior Russian diplomat

MOSCOW. July 15 (Interfax) - China's involvement in the construction of a road bridge across the Tuman River by Russia and North Korea has not been discussed, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said on Monday.

"On the one hand, this matter hasn't been discussed. And on the other, I've said already that there's a strict rule in our relations with China not to confront each other with any surprises," Rudenko said when asked whether the bridge's construction would require China's clearance and whether Beijing might be engaged in the process.

"Therefore, I think that, in any case, the construction of this bridge won't cause any damage to our relations with the PRC," he said.

The Russian and North Korean governments signed an agreement on building a border road bridge across the Tuman River during Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to North Korea in mid-June.