China approves construction of the most expensive canal in history.
The Gan-Yue Canal is a planned canal that aims to connect the Yangtze River and the Pearl River. It starts from the mouth of Poyang Lake in Jiujiang City, follows the Gan River through Nanchang, Ji'an, Wanan, Ganzhou into Tao River, crosses the watershed into Guangdong Province, follows the Zhen River through Nanxiong, Shaoguan, and finally reaches the Pearl River estuary in Guangzhou.
The total length of the Gan-Yue Canal is 1237 kilometers, with 759 kilometers in Jiangxi Province, accounting for about 61% of the total length. Its total cost may exceed 300 billion yuan, making it the most expensive of the three artificial canals.
The "Century Grand Canal" will enable Guangzhou to directly reach Beijing via the Zhe-Gan-Yue Canal and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, connecting the country's two major water systems—Yangtze River and Pearl River, achieving north-south connectivity. The Zhe-Gan-Yue Canal extends north to Beijing and south to Guangdong. The canal investment of 320 billion yuan to打通the Pearl River and Yangtze River can also reach Beijing. It is expected to become the most expensive artificial canal in China's history, almost triple the budget of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.
The Zhe-Gan-Yue Canal has been included in the "National Three-Dimensional Transportation Network Planning Outline (2021-2035)" and the "Outline for the Development of Inland Waterway Shipping." The project has entered the stage of preparing the feasibility study report and plans to start during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.
The Ministry of Transport stated that after its completion, the canal will accommodate ships of up to 1000 tons and handle approximately 25 million tons of cargo annually. This is also part of China's grand goal to build a total inland waterway network of 25,000 kilometers by 2035.
Other similar projects are underway, such as the Pinglu Canal in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (134.2 kilometers, investment exceeding 70 billion yuan) and future canals connecting Guangxi and Hunan Province (expected investment of 150 billion yuan).
Comment: If completed, the Gan-Yue Canal will link the Yangtze River and Pearl River water systems, forming a "water artery" running north-south together with the Zhe-Gan-Yue Canal and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, completely rewriting the map of China's inland waterway shipping. This inter-basin transportation connection not only greatly enhances the efficiency of inland transport but also alleviates the pressure on railways and highways, promoting the formation of a comprehensive multi-modal transport system, injecting new vitality into the national logistics network. Despite the attention drawn by the massive investment of over 300 billion yuan, its long-term economic benefits are immeasurable. With water transport costs being one-fifteenth of road transport and one-fourth of rail transport, an annual throughput of 25 million tons of cargo will significantly reduce enterprise logistics costs and enhance regional industrial competitiveness. At the same time, the areas along the canal will give rise to port economies, driving the agglomeration of warehousing, processing, trade, and other industries, becoming a new engine for regional economic growth, playing a key role in reducing the proportion of China's logistics costs to GDP and optimizing the economic structure. The Gan-Yue Canal runs through Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces, effectively promoting resource circulation and industrial cooperation between central and southern regions, driving the cross-regional optimization of labor, capital, technology, and other factors. Additionally, the waterway network constructed with projects like the Pinglu Canal will accelerate the deep integration of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, narrowing regional development gaps, and helping achieve the goal of building a unified national market. Of course, the project requires overcoming complex terrain such as crossing watersheds, putting high demands on engineering technology and ecological protection.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1833059498569732/
Disclaimer: This article represents the author's personal views.