NANNING, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Water began flowing through the final sections of the Pinglu Canal on Wednesday, bringing the long-awaited shortcut to the coast in south China a step closer to opening for navigation.
As water was pumped into the canal on Wednesday morning, the 134.2-kilometer waterway has now achieved full-channel connectivity and entered the final phase ahead of its expected inauguration in September.
For many observers, the moment is more than an engineering milestone. It represents China's latest attempt to reshape the economic landscape of its vast interior.
Stretching from the Pingtang River in Hengzhou City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, to the Beibu Gulf in the South China Sea, the Pinglu Canal is the backbone of the country's New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a key initiative enhancing global trade connectivity for China's western inland regions.
Once operational, it will provide China's southwestern provinces with their first direct river-to-sea shipping route, bypassing a lengthy detour through the Pearl River system, according to its builder, Guangxi Pinglu Canal construction Co., Ltd.
"Freight traveling from the southwest to overseas markets through the canal will shorten inland waterway journeys by roughly 560 kilometers compared with traditional routes, reducing transportation costs and transit times," said Pan Jian, the chief engineer of the company.
Capable of accommodating 5,000-tonne vessels, it boasts the highest navigation standard in China, Pan added.
The scale of the project is also remarkable. With total investment exceeding 70 billion yuan (about 10.27 billion U.S. dollars), the canal is the first major river-to-sea canal project planned and coordinated at the national level since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
Ni Yuping, vice dean of the School of Humanities at Tsinghua University, noted that the project fills a long-standing gap in China's transportation network.
"The Pinglu Canal completes a missing link in southwestern China's water transport system," Ni said. "It not only improves domestic connectivity but also deepen trade and cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and ASEAN as well as the world at large." ■
