Construction of South China's Pinglu Canal project kicks off

(ECNS) -- The construction of the Pinglu Canal project kicked off on Sunday. The canal stretches about 135 kilometers, and is navigable to 5,000-ton ships. As a key project of the new land-sea channel in western China, the canal aims to link Xijiang River with ports in the Beibu Gulf.

The canal starts from the Xijin reservoir in Hengzhou City and ends at Luwu Town of Lingshan County, where ships could reach the Beibu Gulf via the Qinjiang River.

"Upon completion, the canal will open a shorter and convenient route to the sea for Guangxi and other regions in west China," said Liu Ning, Party Secretary of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

"It can improve the navigation conditions of Xijiang River, and greatly enhance the transport capacity of the new land-sea channel in west China," Liu added.