Staff members work at the ticketing office at Qinzhou service area along the Pinglu Canal in Qinzhou, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Sept. 16, 2026. China opened the Pinglu Canal on Wednesday, 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.

　　Built at a cost of 72.7 billion yuan (about 10.75 billion U.S. dollars), the 134.2-kilometer canal runs from Hengzhou, a county-level city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, to the Beibu Gulf, the closest maritime outlet for much of southwest China. (Xinhua/Lu Boan)

　　This photo taken on Sept. 16, 2026 shows the Madao Hub on the Pinglu Canal in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. China opened the Pinglu Canal on Wednesday, 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.

　　Built at a cost of 72.7 billion yuan (about 10.75 billion U.S. dollars), the 134.2-kilometer canal runs from Hengzhou, a county-level city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, to the Beibu Gulf, the closest maritime outlet for much of southwest China. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)