China is set to complete construction of the Pinglu Canal by the end of this year, reported Hong Kong's South China Morning Post.

The CNY72.7 billion (US$10.4 billion) project has taken just four years and is designed to strengthen trade links with Southeast Asia, the country's largest export market.

The canal will give landlocked provinces in southwest China direct access to global shipping lanes, cutting transport costs and transit times for goods moving between the Chinese interior and neighbouring countries.

The 134km waterway will connect Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, to the Gulf of Tonkin through the Qinjiang River. It is the first major canal China has built in centuries. Construction has entered its final phase and navigation is expected to begin by the end of 2026.

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