Aug 12 — Live-ship trials for the Pinglu Canal have begun. Four representative
vessels will carry out phased validation of navigation under normal and adverse
conditions and a full-line aids-to-navigation efficacy check. The trials are
intended to underpin the canal’s scheduled opening in Sept 2026. The Pinglu
Canal, a backbone project of the Western Land-Sea New Corridor, is 134.2 km long
and designed for 5,000-ton vessels; on completion it will establish a river-sea
intermodal trunk linking southwest China to the sea via the Xijiang mainstem.