China opens major river-to-sea canal, creating trade shortcut to Southeast Asia(1/3)

An aerial view of the Pinglu Canal in late August. (Photo courtesy of Pinglu Canal Group)

China opened the Pinglu Canal on Wednesday, giving its landlocked southwest a shortcut to the coast and overseas markets, particularly those in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the country's largest trading partner.

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.

Designed for vessels of up to 5,000 metric tons, the canal shortens the inland waterway journey for goods from southwest China to the sea by more than 560 kilometers compared with traditional routes through ports in Guangdong Province. It is expected to reduce overall logistics costs by 18% to 30% and save more than 5 billion yuan in transportation costs each year.

An aerial view of the Pinglu Canal in late August. (Photo courtesy of Pinglu Canal Group)

An aerial view of the Pinglu Canal in late August. (Photo courtesy of Pinglu Canal Group)