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OpinionChow Chung-yan
Why Hong Kong should be very interested in the Pinglu Canal
China-Asean trade is expected to surge as the Pinglu Canal synergises with the Hainan free-trade zone – creating demand for services Hong Kong can provide
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Chow Chung-yanChow Chung-yan began his journalistic career at the South China Morning Post and rose to become Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Published: 9:00am, 11 Jun 2026Our report that China’s landmark Pinglu Canal is set for trial operations in September was one of the most read the week it was published.
Interestingly, most of those who read the report were from the United States, followed by Malaysia, Singapore, Canada, Australia and Hong Kong. The report had three times as many Singaporean readers as local ones. I find this disparity concerning and not for reasons of editorial vanity.
While the Pinglu Canal is a global story – representing one of the world’s most ambitious waterway projects with profound geopolitical implications – its impact on Hong Kong will be just as significant, if not more so, as on our Southeast Asian neighbours or North American observers.
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Yet, the topic has barely raised the pulse locally. Many of my fellow Hongkongers admit they neither know nor care about the project. They should, and here’s why.
The canal stretches 134km (83 miles) from Nanning, the capital of Guangxi, down to the Gulf of Tonkin, also known as the Beibu Gulf in China. This engineering marvel is designed to give China’s largely landlocked, developing southwestern interior – Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Chongqing – direct access to global maritime lanes. It will serve as a new conduit for trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), China’s largest trading partner.
AdvertisementIt also dovetails with the development of neighbouring Hainan, the island province promoted to a full-fledged free-trade hub last December. In just three months, when the Pinglu Canal commences its trial runs, a dedicated shipping route will be launched to connect Guangxi’s Nanning directly to Hainan’s bustling Yangpu Port.AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed00:0000:001.00x