China's Major River-to-Sea Canal Set to Open

The Pinglu Canal in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China, will commence operations on 16 September. The 134.2 km canal connects the Xijiang River shipping route in the north with the Beibu Gulf in the south.

The canal represents China’s first major river-to-sea canal project planned and coordinated at the national level since 1949.

Designed to accommodate vessels with a capacity of up to 5,000 tonnes, the canal spans the country’s New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a strategic route connecting China’s inland regions with ASEAN and other global markets.

For cargo originating from Southwest China, this new route will shorten the inland waterway journey to the sea by approximately 560 km compared to the route via Guangzhou Port, with overall logistics costs estimated to decrease by 18 to 30 per cent.