Pinglu Canal To Catalyse China–ASEAN Trade Growth, Open Opportunities For Malaysia
By Siti Zanariah Nor Zin
QINZHOU (China), June 15 (Bernama) -- China’s landmark Pinglu Canal is set to begin operations in September, a milestone expected to strengthen trade links between western China and ASEAN and create new opportunities for Malaysian businesses through enhanced connectivity with Guangxi’s Qinzhou hub.
The 134.2-kilometre canal, China’s first major river-to-sea waterway, will connect inland Guangxi directly to the Beibu Gulf, providing western China with a shorter, more efficient route to international markets.
The enhanced connectivity is expected to strengthen trade, logistics and industrial cooperation centred on the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park (CMQIP), further reinforcing Qinzhou's role as a gateway between western China and ASEAN.
Deputy General Manager and Chief Engineer of Guangxi Pinglu Canal Construction Co. Ltd, Pan Jian, said the project is 96 per cent complete, with all major construction works already finished.
“The main construction works, including the navigation hubs, channel engineering and bridges crossing the canal, have been completed. We are now carrying out water commissioning, testing and calibration of navigation facilities and other supporting infrastructure.
"After the canal becomes operational, it will open the shortest and most efficient shipping route for southwestern China to access the sea. It is expected to generate annual logistics cost savings exceeding 50 billion yuan," he told Bernama during a recent visit to the project site.
Pan added that the canal's initial cargo handling capacity is projected to reach nearly 80 million tonnes annually, with long-term capacity expected to increase further.
Upon completion, the canal will shorten inland river transport distances between Guangxi, southwestern China and ASEAN by more than 560 kilometres compared with existing routes via Guangzhou Port.
The project forms part of China's New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a strategic initiative aimed at strengthening connectivity between western China and Southeast Asia.
For Malaysia, the canal's significance extends beyond transportation, as Qinzhou, home to the CMQIP, is expected to emerge as an even more important gateway linking western China with ASEAN markets once the waterway becomes operational.
Built at an estimated cost of 72.7 billion yuan (RM43.5 billion), the canal runs from Pingtang Estuary in Hengzhou, Nanning, through Lingshan County in Qinzhou before entering the Beibu Gulf.
Constructed to Class I inland waterway standards, it can accommodate vessels of up to 5,000 tonnes and integrates shipping, water supply, irrigation, flood control and environmental improvement functions.
The canal is expected to facilitate closer economic linkages between ASEAN, the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone, the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area through more efficient cargo movement and supply chain integration.
-- BERNAMA
