China's 134.2-km-long Pinglu Canal in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region https://t.me/LauraRuHK/9630 which I mentioned last year became operational on Wednesday. The canal can accommodate vessels of up to 5,000 tons and cut the inland waterway distance to the sea by more than 560 kilometers for cargo ships from China's southwestern provinces like Sichuan, Chongqing, and Yunnan. It will reduce logistics costs by 18 to 30 per cent.
It is China's first major river-to-sea canal project to be been planned and built since 1949 and stretches along the country's New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a strategic route linking China's inland regions with Asean and other global markets. Construction started in August 2022 and cost CN¥72.7 billion/US$10.75 billion.