Scheduled to open for navigation this September, the Pinglu Canal will mark the first man-made waterway connecting a river directly to the sea since the founding of the People's Republic of China. On September 1st, at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office, Lu Xinning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Regional Committee and Vice Chairman of the region, detailed the canal's significance.
The canal, stretching 134.2 kilometers from the Pingtang River Estuary in Hengzhou, Nanning, southward to the Beibu Gulf in Qinzhou, is a key project in the New Western Land-Sea Corridor. It was constructed in just four years and is designed to accommodate vessels up to 5,000 tons, making it the world's highest-grade river-sea interconnecting waterway. This new passage not only resolves Guangxi's historical issue of being cut off from the sea by rivers, eliminating the need for lengthy detours, but also promises to reshape the economic geography between China and ASEAN.
Vice Chairman Lu highlighted that upon its opening, the navigational distance from China's southwestern hinterland to ASEAN will shrink by 560 kilometers, slashing logistics costs by 18% to 30%. This new route will serve as a two-way conduit for goods between the 1.4 billion-strong Chinese market and the 670 million-strong ASEAN market, allowing products from Southwest China to reach ASEAN more efficiently while bringing tropical fruits, coffee, and other specialty items from ASEAN member states directly to Chinese consumers.
Looking beyond its immediate benefits, the Pinglu Canal is poised to significantly elevate regional cooperation between China and ASEAN. By connecting southward to the sea and northward to Europe, the canal will integrate with the China-Europe Railway Express and sea-rail intermodal transport networks. This linkage will connect China-ASEAN collaboration with the broader Belt and Road Initiative, unlocking new regional development opportunities. It will expand market access and grow economic activity, benefiting all ports and transport corridors along its route.