Yangtze-Huaihe Grand Canal
On 16 August, China started trial operations on the new Yangtze-Huaihe Grand Canal in the eastern province of China to enhance the efficiency of shipping along the two prominent rivers in the region.
This canal connects China's longest river, the Yangtze, which crosses the southern Anhui province for a distance of 400 km, with the Huaihe River, which passes through the province's northern territories.
According to Chinese media China Daily, the new canal is 723 kilometres in length, and the entire project was executed at a cost of $12.5 billion. One of the benefits of this project is that it passes through a total of 12 cities within Anhui province and an additional two cities in the neighbouring Henan province, ultimately benefiting the livelihoods of over 50 million people.
An extra 355 km of shipping lanes were added to the existing watercourses, says China Daily, making the Yangtze-Huaihe Grand Canal the second longest canal in China in terms of length.
Chen Xi, general manager of the Anhui Provincial Group for Yangtze-to-Huaihe Water Diversion, said, "This project reduces the water transportation distance between the Huaihe River and Yangtze River by 200 km to 600 km."
Pinglu Canal
China is embarking on the construction of yet another canal project. The new waterway, Pinglu Canal, covers a distance of 135 kilometres and has an estimated budget of nearly US$10.1 billion.
According to a South China Morning Post (SCMP) report, this canal stands out as a flagship initiative within China's Western land-sea trade corridor. It is expected to facilitate access to the Beibu Gulf, also recognized as the Gulf of Tonkin, as well as the South China Sea.
This canal is anticipated to be capable of transporting 108 million tonnes of cargo by 2035, with projections soaring to 130 million tonnes by 2050.
In addition, the Pinglu Canal would enable container ships or bulk carriers "to sail from the regional capital city of Nanning to Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries in weeks," says SCMP.
