The Pinglu Canal, China's first artificial waterway connecting inland rivers to the sea, is expected to slash the transport distance between the country's southwestern regions and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states by 560 kilometers, a Chinese official said Tuesday.
The 134.2-km canal is a key project in China's New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a freight network aimed at improving links between the country's western regions and overseas markets. The project is expected to give cargo from southwest China a shorter route to Beibu Gulf ports, as it is designed to connect the Xijiang River system with the Beibu Gulf through the Qinjiang River.
"Once the Pinglu Canal is open to navigation, the transport distance between China's southwestern hinterland and ASEAN countries will be shortened by 560 kilometers, and logistics costs will be reduced by 18 to 30 percent," said Lu Xinning, vice governor of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
"In terms of navigation grade, the Pinglu Canal is the highest-standard river-sea connecting waterway in China and even the world, and it will reshape the economic and geographic landscape between China and ASEAN. Once open to navigation, it will add a new two-way corridor for goods between the two major markets. Factors such as capital, technology, talent, and labor between southwest China and ASEAN countries will also be further pooled, giving rise to new cross-border investment and industrial cooperation projects," she said.
Pinglu Canal to cut southwest China-ASEAN shipping distance by 560 km: official
