Pinglu Canal will be built into a world-class ecological and green canal with high-level protection measures, Chen Liang, head of the Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, announced during a June 30 press conference in Nanning.

Pinglu Canal will be a major part of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, as well as a water transport artery passage at the 10-billion-metric-ton level connecting the Pearl River-Xijiang River basin and the Beibu Gulf Port.

Its upstream is connected with the Xijiang River trunk line and its west side connects Nanning and Yunnan, its east side connects with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, its north side connects with Guizhou, while its south side connects to the sea.

A total of 140 kilometers of the Pinglu Canal has passed its environmental impact assessment review on May 31, which starts at the Xijin Reservoir in Hengzhou and ends at Luwu town in Lingshan county, where ships will be able to reach the Beibu Gulf via the Qinjiang River.

It is expected to provide a shorter water transportation route to the sea for Guangxi, as well as other regions in southwest and mid-south China.

A 1-km area alongside the canal will be reserved for building future ecological corridors, protecting local biodiversity.

Two special passages will be set up at the Qingnian Water Control project, providing migration routes for fish and other aquatic life.

Observation stations for local biodiversity will also be built to carry out regular observations on nearby land, river, and marine biology.