The opening of the 134.2-kilometer-long Pinglu Canal in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is expected to strengthen trade and logistics links between China's southwestern regions and Southeast Asia.
Scheduled to open on September 16, it connects the Xijiang River shipping network with the Beibu Gulf and can accommodate vessels of up to 5,000 tonnes.
As a key part of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, the canal provides a more direct route from China's inland regions to the sea and onward to ASEAN markets.