The Pinglu Canal in southern China is set to reshape the movement of goods in the region when it is completed in a few years.
The $10 billion project highlights Beijing's shifting focus toward maritime connectivity for its Belt and Road Initiative, observers say. But as the U.S. and its allies move to "de-risk" from China and Beijing aims to boost its connections with Southeast Asia, geopolitics is adding an element of urgency to the endeavor.
The 72.7 billion yuan ($10.3 billion) Pinglu Canal will stretch over 134 kilometers from the Xijin Reservoir, near Guangxi's capital city of Nanning, to the port of Qinzhou in the south, complementing existing highways and railways to move goods.