China opened the Pinglu Canal in Guangxi on Wednesday — a 134.2 km river-to-sea link connecting landlocked southwest China directly to the Beibu Gulf and the South China Sea.⁣ ⁣ Built at a cost of roughly 72.7 billion yuan (about $10.75 billion USD), the canal is the first river-to-sea project planned and coordinated at the national level since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.⁣ ⁣ Strategically, the canal sits along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, strengthening links between China's inland regions and ASEAN, which is China's largest trading partner. ⁣ ⁣ #PingluCanal #China #ASEAN #Infrastructure #Trade