China’s new canal cuts 560 kilometres from some routes to the sea

Southwest China has gained a direct waterway to the sea with the opening of the 134.2-kilometre Pinglu Canal in Guangxi. Linking the Xijiang River shipping network to the Beibu Gulf, it removes a detour of roughly 560 kilometres for some cargo that previously travelled east toward Guangzhou before reaching the coast.

The shortcut is already carrying freight. Two new services began with the opening: an international route from Nanning to Can Tho in Vietnam and a domestic connection to Yangpu in Hainan. During a pre-opening trial, two vessels carrying containers from Guigang passed through the canal in about two hours, compared with two days under the previous route around the Pearl River Delta. The waterway can accommodate vessels of up to 5,000 metric tons.

Construction began in 2022 and cost about 72.7 billion yuan. It is China’s first nationally planned canal since 1949 designed to give inland waterways direct access to the sea. Three sets of double ship locks manage navigation along the route. The project also included a fish passage, a 240-metre vegetated wildlife crossing, and mangrove relocation and replanting. Reported survival of the replanted saplings exceeds 90 percent.

The canal could lower shipping costs and improve access to Southeast Asian ports, although its longer-term impact will depend on effective connections with ports, railways and logistics facilities.