A cargo vessel prepares to depart for Nanning Port along the Pinglu Canal at the Qinzhou Port area of Beibu Gulf Port 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/Zhang Ailin)

　　This photo taken on Sept. 16, 2026 shows a ferry ticket at Qinzhou service area along the Pinglu Canal in Qinzhou, 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/Lu Boan)