China on September 16 put into operation a large canal to help uninhabited areas have direct sea access, state media reported, thereby shortening transportation time and costs in the context that the country is aiming to strengthen trade relations with neighboring countries in the region.
According to Xinhua, the 134km long Pinglu Canal, which took four years to build, connects Nanning city in the Guangxi production area in the South with the sea.
According to Xinhua news agency, goods from Southwest China used to have to be transported to Guangzhou city in the South to reach the sea, but the new canal route has reduced the journey by more than 560km.
The canal also helps reduce transportation costs by 18-30% and creates annual savings of more than 5 billion yuan for this sector.
State television CCTV broadcast images of the first barge passing through the canal along with footage from above recording ships moving on the calm water surface, describing the project as "the project of our century".
According to Xinhua, the canal "opens the shortest, most economical and most convenient route" to Southeast Asia, while promoting economic development.
The new route is particularly important for rural areas in Sichuan, Chongqing and Yunnan, which have lower levels of connectivity than prosperous areas in eastern China.
Coal, ore, cereals, chemicals, agricultural products and many other materials can now access foreign markets more easily.
The majority of the project's construction volume is to expand, dredge and renovate existing waterways, only a small section needs to be newly excavated. The project started in August 2022 with a total cost of 72.7 billion yuan (approximately nearly 11 billion USD).
