BEIJING, 16th September, 2026 (WAM) -- China on Wednesday opened a major new canal, giving its landlocked southwest a shortcut to the coast and overseas markets, particularly those in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the country's largest trading partner.
Xinhua News Agency reported that the canal is 134.2 kilometres long and was built at a cost of 72.7 billion yuan (about US$10.75 billion).
The canal runs from Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, to the Beibu Gulf, the closest maritime outlet for much of southwest China.