The Qinzhou Port area of the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) recently promoted the accelerated construction of the Pinglu Canal.

The Pinglu Canal construction project began in August 2022, and construction is scheduled to continue this year. Once completed, the canal will open up a water transport network from Qinzhou Port to Southwest China.

The Pinglu Canal will be a major part of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, as well as a 10-billion-metric-ton level water transport passage that connects the Pearl River-Xijiang River basin and the Beibu Gulf Port.

Its upstream is connected with the Xijiang River trunk line and its west side connects Nanning and Yunnan. In addition, its east side connects with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, its north side connects with Guizhou, and its south side connects to the sea.

A 140-kilometers stretch of the Pinglu Canal, which starts at the Xijin Reservoir in Hengzhou and ends at Luwu town in Lingshan county, has passed environmental impact assessment reviews on May 31. This is where ships will be able to reach the Beibu Gulf via the Qinjiang River.

The canal is expected to provide a shorter water transportation route to the sea for Guangxi, as well as other regions in southwest and mid-south China.

In 2022, Qinzhou Port's annual cargo throughput reached 174 million tons, an increase of 3.9 percent. In addition, its container throughput reached 5.41 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), an increase of 16.9 percent.

In 2022, the total volume of foreign trade in Qinzhou exceeded 60 billion yuan ($9 billion), increasing by 150.8 percent, and the total volume rose to the fourth place in Guangxi. The total import and export value of Qinzhou Port exceeded 170 billion yuan, ranking third in Guangxi. Moreover, the total value of imports and exports through Qinzhou and along the trade corridor exceeded 100 billion yuan.

Qinzhou Port. [Photo/WeChat account: Chinanews.com]