Can the new Pinglu Canal become Chinaโs โYangtze of the southwestโ?
The opening of Chinaโs first new river-to-sea canal since 1949 โ which will boost trade links with Southeast Asia โ could transform the economy of the countryโs landlocked southwestern interior in ways comparable to the Yangtzeโs role in Shanghaiโs rise, according to its operator. The 134.2km (83.4 mile) Pinglu Canal, which opened on Wednesday, links a major tributary of the Pearl River in the southern Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region with the Gulf of Tonkin, known as the Beibu Gulf in China,...