China opens Pinglu Canal

The 134-kilometer waterway links Nanning in Guangxi to the Gulf of Tonkin, giving landlocked areas direct sea access for the first time.

Massive distance savings

Goods from southwestern China previously had to go through Guangzhou to reach the sea. The canal cuts that journey by over 560 kilometers.

Transport costs drop sharply

The canal reduces shipping costs by 18 to 30 percent, generating annual savings of more than five billion yuan in the transport sector.

Gateway to Southeast Asia

The waterway opens the shortest and most economical route to Southeast Asian markets, boosting regional trade connections.

“opens up the shortest, most economical and most convenient route”

Helps rural inland regions

The route is particularly important for less-connected rural parts of Sichuan, Chongqing and Yunnan compared to prosperous eastern China.

What ships through the canal

Coal, ore, cereals, chemicals, agricultural produce and other materials can now reach foreign markets more easily through the new waterway.

Four years and 72 billion yuan

Construction began in August 2022 and cost 72.7 billion yuan. Most work involved widening and deepening existing waterways.

“the project of our century”