Pinglu Canal Passes Completion Acceptance, Set for September Opening

The Pinglu Canal, China’s first major river-to-sea canal project planned at the national level since 1949, has successfully passed its completion acceptance inspection, clearing the final regulatory hurdle ahead of its scheduled September navigation opening, according to Xinhua News.

The acceptance inspection, conducted from August 27-28 by a committee comprising the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Department of Transport, Guangxi Maritime Safety Administration, and Pinglu Canal Group, concluded that the canal’s waterway alignment is straight, water area dimensions meet standards, slope support is stable, and all technical indicators satisfy specification and design requirements.

A Century-Old Vision Realized

The 134.2-kilometer canal stretches from the Pingtang River estuary in Hengzhou through Lingshan County’s Luwu Town, running along the Qinjiang River into the Beibu Gulf. Construction began on August 28, 2022, with total investment exceeding 70 billion yuan (approximately $10.37 billion).

The concept dates back over a century. Sun Yat-sen’s Plan for National Reconstruction recognized the strategic importance of the Nanning-Qinzhou area for water transport, envisioning Qinzhou as a major port for southwest China. After 1949, multiple studies revisited the idea, but objective conditions prevented implementation until the project was formally approved in March 2022.

The canal is a backbone project of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a strategic trade and logistics network connecting China’s western regions to ASEAN countries and other overseas markets. It links the Silk Road Economic Belt in the north with the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in the south.

Engineering Feat of Historic Scale

The construction scale is staggering. Over 300 million cubic meters of earth and rock were excavated—about three times that of the Three Gorges Project—with approximately 5.84 million cubic meters of concrete poured. The canal features three newly built cascade hubs—Madao, Qishi, and Qingnian—that overcome a 65-meter elevation difference between the Pingtang River estuary and the Beibu Gulf.

The Madao Hub is the world’s largest inland water-saving ship lock, with gates weighing over 1,000 tonnes each. Its water-saving design recycles about 60 percent of water used. The single-day pre-cooled concrete pouring volume for the lock body at Madao Hub set a world record.

Built to China’s inland Class I waterway standard, the canal can accommodate vessels up to 5,000 tonnes—the highest navigation standard in the country. As of June 2026, overall project progress exceeded 96 percent.

Strategic Impact on Trade Routes

The canal’s significance extends far beyond its engineering achievements. It provides southwest China’s provinces—including Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan—with their first direct river-to-sea shipping route, bypassing a lengthy detour through the Pearl River system and Guangzhou Port.

“Freight traveling from the southwest to overseas markets through the canal will shorten inland waterway journeys by roughly 560 kilometers compared with traditional routes, reducing transportation costs and transit times,” said Pan Jian, chief engineer of Guangxi Pinglu Canal Construction Co., Ltd., as reported by People’s Daily Online.

Ni Yuping, vice dean of the School of Humanities at Tsinghua University, noted that the project fills a long-standing gap in China’s transportation network. “The Pinglu Canal completes a missing link in southwestern China’s water transport system,” Ni said. “It not only improves domestic connectivity but also deepens trade and cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and ASEAN as well as the world at large.”

ASEAN Connectivity and Regional Integration

The canal’s impact extends well beyond China’s borders. ASEAN diplomats visited the canal and Beibu Gulf Port in July, with officials expressing strong enthusiasm for the project’s regional implications. Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Thanh Binh said the project “demonstrates China’s technological capabilities and its determination to advance regional connectivity,” according to Xinhua English.

Singaporean Consul-General in Guangzhou Cindy Wee said the canal would “shorten transport time for goods from China’s western inland regions to ASEAN countries, reduce logistics costs and improve the efficiency of trade and investment.”

Cambodian Ambassador to China Soeung Rathchavy expressed hope that the Pinglu Canal and Cambodia’s Funan Techo Canal would “complement each other and advance bilateral and regional cooperation.”

To Vu Luc, vice consul of the Consulate General of Vietnam in Nanning, told the Global Times that the canal will help deepen economic and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN countries, especially Vietnam. As Vietnam exports large volumes of agricultural products to China annually, the Vietnamese official expects logistics-related enterprises to be among the first beneficiaries.

Economic Transformation Underway

Businesses along the canal’s route are already pivoting to capitalize on the new waterway. Qin Yubin, vice president of Guangxi Rizon Sino Sci-tech Co, a paper products manufacturer that bought a former shipyard on the canal bank, described the project as “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” The company expects logistics costs to drop by some 40 percent after the canal opens.

The economic ripple effects are substantial. Trade facilitation is expected to save more than 5.2 billion yuan annually in transportation costs for regions along the corridor. The New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor handled 517.23 billion yuan in imports and exports during the first half of 2026, up 13 percent year-on-year.

China-ASEAN trade reached $1.05 trillion in 2025, surpassing the trillion-dollar mark for the first time. Beibu Gulf Port’s annual container throughput surpassed 10 million TEUs in 2025, with 100 container shipping routes.

Looking Ahead: Navigation and Beyond

The canal achieved full-channel water connectivity on June 3, 2026, entering the final phase ahead of its expected inauguration. In August, the Guangxi Maritime Safety Administration completed the first full-route patrol of the canal using the patrol vessel Haixun 1003, marking a breakthrough in navigation tests using an actual vessel.

River-to-sea direct vessels capable of sailing both in the canal and open sea are under development, with two 6,800-tonne demonstration vessels under construction. These vessels are expected to debut by 2027, enabling direct port-to-port service without the need for cargo transfers between river-going and ocean-going vessels.

He Junhui, director of the Engineering Management Department of Pinglu Canal Group, drew a historical parallel: “Every canal is born to answer the call of its era. The Lingqu Canal helped integrate the southern China region during its time and brought about prosperity; the Pinglu Canal solves the problem of having a sea outlet for Southwest China. The technology differs, but the principle is the same—our ancestors never stopped harnessing water, and neither have we.”

As September approaches, the Pinglu Canal is poised to transform a remote corner of Guangxi into a bustling gateway connecting China’s vast interior with Southeast Asian markets—a century-old dream realized through modern engineering and strategic vision.