The wind in the Beibu Gulf of Guangxi, wrapped in hot and humid heat, blows over the cofferdam at the mouth of Pingtang River in Hengzhou City. In early June 2026, as the two major shipping hubs of Madao and Qishi were successively filled with water, the 134.2 kilometer long Pinglu Canal finally achieved full water supply. The builders immediately turned to the tense ship lock for water commissioning - this is the first large-scale canal connecting the river and the sea since the founding of New China, and it is one step closer to trial navigation within the year. At the press conference of the State Council Information Office held in Beijing on the same day, Yang Huaxiong, Director of the Water Transport Bureau of the Ministry of Transport, announced that a number of landmark water transport projects represented by the Pinglu Canal and the Three Gorges Water Transport New Channel are accelerating, and the construction of inland water transport in China during the 15th Five Year Plan period will be further accelerated.

Two iconic projects have reached critical milestones

The Pinglu Canal starts from Pingtang Estuary in Hengzhou City, Nanning in the north and ends at Qinzhou Shajing in the south. It is constructed as a class I waterway of the inland river and can be used for navigation of 5000 ton ships. The total construction period is 52 months. The main works will start on May 23, 2023. At present, the main structure has been basically completed and the entire line is connected to water. The ship lock is being debugged with water according to the plan.

On June 8, 2026, the first major national landmark project of the "15th Five Year Plan" period, the Three Gorges Water Transport New Channel, started construction in Yichang, Hubei. The project consists of two parts: the construction of a new double track continuous five level ship lock for the Three Gorges Hub new channel, with a construction period of 112 months; The Gezhouba Shipping Capacity Expansion Project will construct a new double track single level ship lock, with a construction period of 95 months. After completion, the two-way throughput capacity of the Three Gorges Dam will reach 336 million tons, and the Gezhouba Dam will reach 360 million tons, which can accommodate ships of up to 10000 tons.

Capacity expansion and upgrading of the Yangtze and Xijiang main waterways

The main body of the second phase of the Jingjiang River section channel project in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River has been completed, and 5000 ton ships can directly reach Chongqing year-round; After the completion of the second phase of the Yangtze River Estuary South Channel Management Project, which started on May 26th this year, it can achieve full tide navigation for ships of 5000 tons. The construction of the 3000 ton waterway project from Nanning to Guigang on the Xijiang shipping mainline is accelerating, and after completion, 3000 ton ships on the Xijiang mainline can navigate the entire line.

Upgrading of tributary waterways and breaking through historical blockages

After the completion of the Jiangxi Yuanhe Navigation Channel Upgrading Project, 1000 ton ships will be navigable; The comprehensive development of Minjiang Navigation and Electronics in Sichuan Province includes four cascade hubs and 81 kilometers of waterway regulation. It is expected to be fully completed by 2030, and the Leshan Yibin section can accommodate 1000 ton ships year-round. The construction of the Wujiang Baima Navigation Hub in the Chongqing Guizhou region is accelerating, and once completed, it will connect the last kilometer into the Yangtze River; The navigation facilities of Baise Water Conservancy Hub are progressing in an orderly manner, and after completion, the entire Youjiang River will resume navigation; The 1000 ton navigation structure of Hongshui River Longtan Hydropower Station has started construction, and after completion, it can realize the resumption of navigation of the entire Hongshui River.keywords:Engineering infrastructure

Yang Huaxiong stated that during the 15th Five Year Plan period, efforts will be made to continuously expand the capacity of trunk waterways, unblock blockages and checkpoints, and continuously improve the national comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network.Editor/Yang Meiling