The Pinglu Canal, a pivotal project within China's Western Land-Sea New Corridor, officially opened to navigation on September 16th. This 134.2-kilometer water artery, linking the Xijiang River shipping route to the Beibu Gulf, now connects China's southwestern hinterland with ASEAN markets via the shortest possible water route, fundamentally reshaping the region's trade logistics.
Functioning as the first canal constructed under national-level planning since the founding of New China, the Pinglu Canal begins at the Pingtang River estuary in the Xijin Reservoir area of Hengzhou, Nanning. From there, it flows south through Luwu Town in Lingshan County, Qinzhou, and follows the Qin River into the Beibu Gulf, effectively transforming the southwestern waterway export route from a long detour into a direct passage. This "engineering feat of the century" fulfills a vision first proposed by Sun Yat-sen in his "International Development of China" over a century ago, not only rewriting the geographical logic of western China's maritime access but also establishing a highly efficient and economically viable new corridor for China-ASEAN cooperation.
On its inaugural day, Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor Co. products were among the first cargo to travel the waterway. "With the river-to-sea shipping connection now open, the route for southwestern cargo to reach the ocean is shortened by more than 560 kilometers, which is a direct boost to our export competitiveness," said Xie Jiasheng, deputy general manager of the import and export subsidiary of Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor Co. He indicated that the company plans to integrate the Pinglu Canal into its standard export logistics framework to send more "Guangxi Smart Manufacturing" to global markets.
Yang Fanglai, chairman of Hunan Huaihua International Land Port Development Co Ltd, noted that with the canal's opening, comprehensive logistics costs for bulk cargo are expected to decrease by 18% to 30%, and container transport costs by 18% to 22%. "The canal's launch represents a major opportunity for Huaihua International Land Port to reduce costs and boost efficiency, serving as a key moment to transform our logistics structure," Yang stated.
The canal is now weaving together various regions and markets. Provinces such as Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou are linking to the waterway through combined rail-water transport, with multiple direct rail-sea intermodal trains to ASEAN already dispatched. The integration of the China-Laos Railway with the Pinglu Canal also provides landlocked nations like Laos with a new path to the sea, enabling them to "borrow the river to reach the ocean." Diplomats from several ASEAN countries have recently conducted inspections of the canal, signaling strong interest in expanding bilateral trade.
The waterway is also generating a significant "magnet effect" for investment. French firm SNF Group is constructing a paper chemicals project in Nanning's Liujing Industrial Park, located roughly 50 kilometers from the canal's starting point, aiming to establish its largest southern China production base and position Nanning as a supply chain hub radiating into the ASEAN region. To date, nearly 200 leading enterprises have established a presence in Guangxi to tap into the ASEAN market.
Guangxi is now focusing on developing the Pinglu Canal Economic Belt with a "leaf-vein" structured maritime industry layout. This strategy will foster cross-border supply and industrial chains with ASEAN in non-ferrous and key metal materials, modern green chemicals, artificial intelligence, next-generation information technology, and new energy vehicles and batteries.
As China's first intelligent canal designed for full-lifecycle management, the Pinglu Canal also unlocks new avenues for collaboration in emerging fields like the digital economy and green, smart shipping. This "water highway" is rapidly becoming a new bond for mutually beneficial China-ASEAN partnership, driving prosperity across industries along its banks.