For decades, cargo moving by water from parts of southwestern China often had to pass through Guangzhou before reaching the coast. The new Pinglu Canal now provides a much shorter inland waterway connection to the sea.
The canal officially opened to navigation on September 16 after four years of construction. Running for 134.2 kilometers through Guangxi, it connects the Xijiang River system with the Beibu Gulf. It is designed for vessels carrying up to 5,000 metric tons.
Not all of the canal had to be dug from empty ground. Much of the work involved widening, deepening and reshaping existing waterways. A shorter section was excavated across the divide between two river systems. Together, these changes created a direct river-to-sea passage.
The difference in water level presented another challenge. Along the canal, three large stepped locks help vessels overcome a total drop of about 65 meters, roughly the height of a 20-story building. A vessel enters a lock, the gate closes, and the water level rises or falls until it can continue into the next section. Water-saving designs reduce the enormous volume needed each time a vessel passes through.
The project cost about 72.7 billion yuan. Its main advantage is the distance it saves. For some cargo from southwestern China, the new passage cuts more than 560 kilometers from the journey to the coast. Official estimates suggest that it could reduce logistics costs by 18 to 30 percent and save more than 5 billion yuan in transport expenses each year.
The canal also connects with railway lines and ports, allowing goods from inland areas to move between trains, river vessels and ocean shipping routes. On its first day of operation, vessels carrying goods such as sugar, steel and building materials passed through its locks.
The Pinglu Canal does not make the sea physically closer. Instead, it changes how efficiently goods can reach it. By creating a shorter connection between inland waterways and the coast, the canal could reduce transport distances, lower logistics costs and improve access to major seaports.