China completes first full test of canal link to Southeast Asia ahead of September launch

[Beijingwalker]

China completes first full test of canal link to Southeast Asia ahead of September launch​

Patrol vessel’s full run along Pinglu Canal moves megaproject closer to a planned September launch​

He Huifengin Guangdong
Published: 5:30pm, 10 Aug 2026

Chinese authorities have conducted the first full transit test along a 134.2km (83.4-mile) canal megaproject linking a vast inland region with Southeast Asia, moving it to the final stages of preparation for a planned September launch that will smooth trade with a key bloc of trading partners.

From Friday to Saturday, the Guangxi Maritime Safety Administration sent a patrol vessel to navigate the Pinglu Canal from the Gulf of Tonkin, which is shared by China and Vietnam. The vessel travelled inland to the canal’s northernmost point on the Pingtang River, according to a statement by the waterway’s operator on its official WeChat account on Sunday.

It was the first end-to-end test run since the canal’s main engineering phase was completed in July, according to the statement.

Authorities checked key navigation conditions, including channel width, tight bends, bridge height clearances and river junctions, as well as markers, safety risks and emergency response areas, the statement said.

Equipped with optical tracking and other data-collection systems, the patrol vessel also collected navigation information, according to the statement. The 46.1-metre-long (151.2-foot) vessel can move up to 25.3 knots and withstand winds of up to 88km/h (54.7mph).

The roughly 72.7 billion yuan (US$10.8 billion) canal is designed to accommodate 5,000-tonne vessels, giving numerous regions in the country’s south and southwest quicker access to Southeast Asia and global sea lanes.

 

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China's mega US$10 billion canal project connecting poor region of Guangxi to the South China Sea, making the region gateway to ASEAN​

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• The 135km-long (84 miles) Pinglu Canal in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region will link up Xi River with ports in the Beibu Gulf
• Costing 72.73 billion yuan (US$10.5 billion), the project will take four and a half years to build as part of China’s renewed effort to use infrastructure to aid the economy

China kicked off the construction of a landmark 72.73 billion yuan (US$10.5 billion) canal in its southwest over the weekend as part of its latest efforts to use infrastructure to aid the distressed economy.

The 135km (84-mile) Pinglu Canal in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region is set to link up the Xi River with ports in the Beibu Gulf, also known as the Gulf of Tonkin.

Officially approved in March, the project was first brought up in the provincial government’s agenda in 2018, with construction set to last four and a half years.

“This year’s infrastructure construction has been accelerated significantly compared with the past few years, to stabilise growth,” said Larry Hu, chief China economist at Macquarie Group.

“This year is just about stabilising the economy with infrastructure projects.”

It will be China’s first new canal since 1949 and will provide a shorter route to the sea for inland areas in southwest China.

 

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Connecting All Chinese major waterways with multiple future grand canals

 

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Construction around the clock non stop, 24/7

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