On March 17, 2022, with the consent of the Party Committee and government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Development and Reform Commission of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region approved the Pinglu Canal project proposal submitted by the Transportation Department of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and the Pinglu Canal project was officially approved.

The Pinglu Canal is a major traction project integrated into national strategies such as the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, the new western land-sea corridor, a strong transportation country, and the development of the western region in the new era. The new channel for sea transportation has important practical significance and far-reaching historical significance for the economic and social development, development and opening up of Guangxi and the vast western regions.

It is understood that the Pinglu Canal focuses on the development of shipping, taking into account water supply, irrigation, flood control, and improvement of the water ecological environment. The Pinglu Canal starts at the mouth of Pingtang River in Xijin Reservoir District, Hengzhou City, Nanning, and enters Beibu Gulf along Qinjiang River through Luwu Town, Lingshan County, Qinzhou, with a total length of about 140 kilometers. There is river construction. The project is constructed according to the standard of inland waterway I-class (3,000-ton ship), and the development space is reasonably reserved in the construction of navigable buildings. The total static investment of the project is about 68 billion yuan.

The Pinglu Canal connects the main shipping line of the Xijiang River and the Beibu Gulf international hub seaport, and will open up the main inflow channel of the Xijiang River in the shortest distance, and connect Guizhou and Yunnan through many tributaries such as Zuojiang, Youjiang, Qianjiang, Hongshuihe, Liujiang and Duliujiang. Realize the direct connection between the inland waterway and ocean transportation in the southwest region, and cover the major transportation projects in the vast western region through rail-road-water combined transportation, which will greatly release the advantages and potential of shipping.

The Pinglu Canal project will fundamentally ease the navigation pressure on the lower reaches of the Xijiang River in the near future, and reduce the navigation pressure on the Yangtze River through the combined transport of iron and water. Serving the southwest and central and southern regions from the south to the sea and directly to ASEAN is the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, the new era of promoting the development of the western region to form a new pattern, accelerating the construction of a strong transportation country, building a high-level new land-sea corridor in the west, and building a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics. A major strategic project in Guangxi.

In the next step, the Department of Transportation of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (the Office of the Leading Group for the Construction of the Pinglu Canal Project) will conscientiously implement the work arrangements of the Party Committee and the government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, further play a leading role, strengthen coordination, consolidate responsibilities, and conduct wall chart operations. Go all out to advance the preliminary work of the Pinglu Canal project, accelerate the establishment of the project legal person, and strive to start construction in 2022. Editor / Zhao E