Beijing: The Pinglu Canal, a major waterway development project in Chinese history, will be a new strategic gateway of opportunity connecting inland China to ASEAN and the global market.
According to Thai News Agency, global geopolitical challenges and recurring trade wars have not hindered China's strategic development. On the contrary, China's mega-projects connecting strategic inland trade areas to offshore waters continue unabated.
The Pinglu Canal project in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China, a multi-billion yuan undertaking, is one of the largest projects in Chinese history in centuries. The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region government, in cooperation with the central government, is pushing for the realization of a vision to connect mainland shipping routes to the Beibu Gulf (Gulf of Tonkin). CCTV Plus recently reported that the Pinglu Canal project, which began excavation and surrounding ecosystem development on August 28, 2022, with an investment of 72.7 billion yuan (approximately 366 billion baht), is now nearing completion. The steel structures for three shipping locks along the canal - the Ma Tao Center, the Qishi Center, and the Qingnian Center - were completed in mid-May 2026, and the canal is ready for official trial runs as early as September of this year. The first shipping route will connect central southern China with Hainan Island, a major free trade port.
The Pinglu Canal project is a key initiative of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region government, included in the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development (2021-2025) and the New Western Land and Sea Corridor (NWLSC) master plan. Promoted by the central government of the People's Republic of China, it aims to be a future logistics route connecting western China with Southeast Asia and the world.
Mr. Yuan Peng, Deputy Director of Engineering at Pinglu Canal Co., Ltd., once told a foreign news reporter from the Thai News Agency that the construction of the Pinglu Canal was entirely a Chinese intellectual project and differs significantly from the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal in terms of geographical features, the use of modern technology, and consideration of environmental conservation. It is projected that by 2035, the volume of goods transported through the Pinglu Canal will increase to 95 million tons, and to 150 million tons by 2050.
The primary goal of investing in this waterway is to provide inland regions of China, which are less economically prosperous than the coastal areas, with faster and more convenient access to international shipping routes.
The Pinglu Canal is 134.2 kilometers long, connecting Hengzhou County in Nanning City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, to Qinzhou City, located at the mouth of Beibu Gulf (or Tonkin Gulf). Along its route, there are three navigation locks to divert water from more than three rivers, including the Qianjiang, Xijiang, and Liaojiang Rivers. These locks are two-lane waterways, allowing six ships with a displacement of 5,000 tons to pass in opposite directions on each side.
The entire 134.2-kilometer canal takes approximately 15-17 hours to navigate from origin to destination, a significant improvement compared to the previous route that involved traveling around Guangdong province in the east.
The state-run Chinese economic newspaper, Securities Times, reported last week that a shipping route from Nanning to Yangpu Port on Hainan Island will officially launch during the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo held in Nanning this September.
The opening of the Pinglu Canal will not only shorten the distance for transporting Chinese goods abroad by up to 600 kilometers, but will also open up opportunities for inland regions of China, which are less economically prosperous than coastal areas, to access international shipping routes more quickly and conveniently. This will help boost local industries and strengthen trade with the 10 ASEAN member countries, which are currently China's largest export markets. Furthermore, it will allow a greater volume of agricultural products from Thailand to enter China via the Pinglu Canal, reaching Nanning before being distributed by rail to central China, such as Sichuan Province and Chongqing.
When fully operational, the Pinglu Canal will serve as a major economic corridor connecting waterways and seas in southwestern China, directly linking the main flow of the Xijiang River, a vital southern trade route, to the sea.
This historic connection will create the shortest, most cost-effective, and most direct shipping route for goods from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and southwestern China to ASEAN markets with full efficiency.