China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) said that on August 28 - marking the fourth anniversary of its groundbreaking - the Pinglu Canal passed its completion acceptance inspection, a solid step toward its scheduled opening in the following days.
This is the first river-sea navigation canal to be planned and implemented at the national level since the founding of the People's Republic of China.
With a total length of 134.2 kilometers, it starts at Pingtang Estuary in Hengzhou, Nanning, and follows the Qinjiang River all the way down to Beibu Gulf.
Along the canal, three cascading shipping hubs — Madou, Qishi and Qingnian — have been constructed.
Once open to navigation, the canal will provide the shortest and most economical waterway from Guangxi and Southwest China to the ASEAN region, cutting the inland waterway route by over 560 kilometers compared to routes via Guangzhou Port.
According to CCCC, it will effectively connect the Xijiang River Golden Waterway with the Beibu Gulf Port, unlocking a critical node for land-sea intermodal transport and injecting strong momentum into the high-quality development of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor.