Pinglu Canal started vessel trials on Wednesday, marking a key step toward the planned opening of this major Chinese waterway in September.
The trials began when an unloaded 5,000-tonne vessel departed from the Xinfu service area along the canal in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Four vessels representing the main types expected to use this canal will take part in the trials, namely loaded and unloaded 5,000-tonne ships as well as loaded 3,000-tonne and 1,000-tonne vessels.
The tests will assess navigation under both normal and adverse conditions and examine whether the canal's waterways, locks, anchorages, service areas and navigation facilities are ready for operation.
The vessels will travel through major sections of the canal and carry out tests including passing through locks, meeting and overtaking other vessels, making turns, docking under tidal conditions and navigating at night.
Additional tests are planned under potentially hazardous conditions, such as reservoir discharges, flooding from tributaries and combinations of strong winds and high tides.
The test vessels are equipped with BeiDou positioning systems, drones and sensors to collect data on their routes, movements, water currents and safe distances between ships.
Designed to accommodate vessels of up to 5,000 tonnes, the 134.2-km Pinglu Canal is China's first major river-to-sea canal project planned and coordinated at the national level since 1949.
Experts believe that it is likely to shorten transport time, lower logistics costs and strengthen connectivity between China's western inland regions and Southeast Asia.
Stretching from the Pingtang River in Guangxi's Hengzhou City to the Beibu Gulf in the South China Sea, the canal is the backbone of the country's New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, which has evolved into a strategic route linking China's inland regions with ASEAN and other global markets.
The corridor's rail service handled a record 1.425 million 20-foot equivalent units of cargo in 2025, up 47.6 percent year on year. As of early July 2026, its network reached 593 ports in 128 countries and regions.
China's major river-to-sea canal begins vessel trials ahead of opening
