# Vice premier stresses western opening as Pinglu Canal begins operations

https://mins.news/en/item/61997

- CGTN, 2026-09-16 11:55 UTC
- Economy
- Original: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-09-16/Vice-premier-stresses-western-region-opening-up-as-Pinglu-Canal-opens-1Quim14j8o8/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&UTM_Medium=rss&UTM_Campaign=China

> Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang called for greater opening of China’s western regions at a ceremony marking the start of navigation on the Pinglu Canal in Guangxi. The 134.2-kilometer, 72.7-billion-yuan canal links Nanning with the Beibu Gulf and serves as a backbone project of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor.

## Related coverage

- [CNA Explains: Why China’s new Pinglu Canal matters](https://mins.news/en/video/60617) — CNA, 2026-09-16
- [China opens Pinglu Canal, a trade shortcut to Southeast Asia](https://mins.news/en/item/60443) — China News Service, 2026-09-16
- [Pinglu Canal: Engineering a new waterway to the sea](https://mins.news/en/item/61979) — CGTN, 2026-09-16
