Hong Kong mustn’t miss the boat on the Pinglu Canal and Asean trade

AI Summary

The Pinglu Canal’s opening is presented as a major infrastructure development that will connect inland Guangxi with the Gulf of Tonkin and strengthen trade links with Southeast Asia. Designed for vessels up to 5,000 tonnes, the 134.2-kilometer waterway could reshape regional transport and economic connections.

The official opening of the Pinglu Canal on September 16 is a milestone in modern Chinese history. More than an infrastructural feat, it signals a strategic recalibration of how China’s inland economies connect with the sea and Southeast Asia, and augurs the next phase of regional growth. Designed for vessels of up to 5,000 tonnes, the 134.2km (83.4 mile) waterway stretches from the Xijin reservoir in Hengzhou, an emerging city in Guangxi, to the Gulf of Tonkin (known as the Beibu Gulf in...