China opens major Pinglu Canal, giving landlocked regions a shorter route to the sea and boosting regional trade

Beijing, China has inaugurated a significant canal on Wednesday, granting landlocked regions direct access to the sea, according to state media. The 134-kilometre Pinglu Canal spanned four years of construction and links Nanning, located in the southern manufacturing region of Guangxi, to the Gulf of Tonkin, situated between China and Vietnam.

Goods from southwestern China previously required transportation to Guangzhou before reaching the ocean, but the canal will shave off more than 560 kilometres from the journey, as reported by state news agency Xinhua. The canal will also slash transportation costs by 18 to 30 per cent, generating annual savings of over five billion yuan (US$745 million) for the sector.

CCTV broadcast footage of the first barge traversing the canal and aerial footage of ships navigating its tranquil waters, describing the waterway as the 'project of our century'. The canal unveils the shortest, most cost-effective, and most convenient route to Southeast Asia, promising to spur economic growth. Particularly vital for economically less connected rural areas of Sichuan, Chongqing, and Yunnan, the new route will facilitate the shipment of coal, ore, cereals, chemicals, agricultural produce, and other materials to foreign markets.

The canal's construction primarily entailed widening, deepening, and modifying existing waterways, with a minor section requiring excavation. The ambitious project, initiated in August 2022, incurred a total expense of 72.7 billion yuan.