Vietnam's Can Tho port is set to welcome the first cargo vessel arriving from China's newly operational Pinglu Canal, which opened on Wednesday to give China's landlocked southwest a logistics shortcut to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) markets.
Built at a cost of 72.7 billion yuan (about 10.83 billion U.S. dollars), the 134.2-kilometer Pinglu Canal runs from Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, to the Beibu Gulf, the closest maritime outlet for much of southwest China.
The canal stretches along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a strategic trade route connecting China's inland regions with ASEAN and other global markets. It is the first river-to-sea canal project planned and coordinated at the national level since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
After days of voyage, the first export-oriented shipment of goods via the canal, including steel, sheet materials, auto parts and chemical materials from southwestern China, will arrive at the Can Tho Port, one of the most important ports and inland river hubs in southern Vietnam. Can Tho is the fifth largest city in Vietnam and one of the core cities in the Mekong Delta.
Staff at the port are preparing for the upcoming cargo shipment from China.
The Pinglu Canal opened alongside Vietnam's efforts to enhance the handling capacity of the Can Tho Port and build it into an international seaport. Meanwhile, the construction of infrastructure connecting the Can Tho Port with other regions in southern Vietnam is also accelerating.
The port is also accelerating its connectivity with Vietnam's national logistics information platform and promoting the construction of bonded warehouses, cold chain facilities, inspection and certification centers, and lighting facilities.
Currently, Vietnam Maritime Corporation is working with China's Beibu Gulf Port Group to open multiple routes for river-sea transportation via the Pinglu Canal. Vietnam expects to export more fruits and aquatic products to China through routes via the canal.
China and ASEAN have been each other's largest trading partners for many consecutive years, with the annual trade volume reaching 7 trillion yuan (1.04 trillion U.S. dollars) and still growing at a faster pace.
Vietnam has become China's largest trading partner in ASEAN and ranks among its top four global trading partners, with the trade volume between the two countries exceeding two trillion yuan (298.2 billion U.S. dollars) annually.
Vietnamese port set to welcome first cargo vessel from newly-opened Pinglu Canal
