Pinglu Canal officially opens, establishing a new southwest corridor to reduce logistics costs

On 2026 9, 16, the Pinglu Canal, a key project of the Western Land-Sea New Corridor, officially opened for navigation, marking a historic transformation in the logistics pattern for southwestern China's access to the sea.

I. Project Overview

The Pinglu Canal connects the Xijiang River with the Beibu Gulf, allowing 5,000-ton vessels to travel directly from inland waterways to the sea. It is the first large-scale river-sea canal built since the founding of New China.

II. Logistics Cost Advantage

Significantly reduced travel time

Compared to traditional routes that bypass Guangzhou via the Pearl River system, the Pinglu Canal shortens inland navigation distance by approximately 560 kilometers.

Significantly reduced total cost

Comprehensive logistics costs for exporting goods from Southwest China to Southeast Asia are expected to decrease by 18%–30%, saving over 50 hundred million yuan in freight charges annually.

3. Benefited Area

The navigation of the Pinglu Canal brings significant benefits to foreign trade enterprises in the following provinces:

• GuangxiDirect benefit: seamless integration of inland ports and sea access channels
• SichuanSea access via the Yangtze River, Xijiang River, and Lingqiao Canal is more cost-effective than routing around the Yangtze River Delta.
• Hunan: Connects to the Xijiang River via the Xiangjiang water system, opening a new maritime route.
• Yunnan, Guizhou: Indirect benefits; multimodal transport network further improved

4. Impact on the Logistics Industry

The Pinglu Canal will enable an "inland shipping + ocean freight" multimodal transport model, ideal for bulk cargo movement between Southwest China and ASEAN countries. Companies can compare this with traditional rail-sea intermodal options to select the most cost-effective logistics route.

FortunaLink is planning logistics nodes along the Pinglu Canal to provide customers with more cost-effective southwest export solutions.