The Ping lu Canal, a major waterway linking inland areas of Southwest China with the sea, officially opened to navigation on Wednesday in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. 平陸運河，作為連通中國西南內陸與海洋的重大水運通道，今天在華南廣西壯族自治區正式通航。 Spanning 134.2 kilometers, the canal connects the Xijiang River system, a significant inland shipping artery in southern China, with the Beibu Gulf, providing inland areas of Southwest China with more direct access to the sea. 運河全長 134.2 公里，連通中國南方重要內河航運干線西江水系與北部灣，為中國西南內陸地區打通更為直接的出海通道。 This canal is China's first nationally planned canal since 1949, designed to grant inland waterways direct access to the sea. 這是 1949 年以來中國首條國家規劃運河，旨在實現內河航道直接通海。 Construction began on Aug 28, 2022, with a total investment of approximately 72.7 billion yuan ($10.83 billion). The canal is designed to accommodate vessels of up to 5,000 metric tons. ...