During his visit to Guilin in China, on June 1, 2023, IWI’s past president Rudy Van der Ween was shown the works in progress to create a new waterway in Southwest China: the Pinglu Canal. The new canal, to open in 2026, is expected to boost combined transport in Guangxi Province and beyond, reducing the distance for waterborne freight from Beibu Gulf to the provincial capital Nanning by no less than 565 km.
Rudy also visited the historic connecting canal between the Yangtze and Pearl River basins, the Lingqu Canal, at the invitation of our new member the Lingqu Canal Museum, and Guangxi
Province. The Lingqu Canal city of Guilin and the town of Xing’an at its entrance will host the
World Canals Conference in 2026.
Rudy Van der Ween sees the visitor display at the entrance to the future Pinglu Canal from the You Jiang river east of the Guangxi capital Nanning
