Dhaka, Sept. 16 -- China on Wednesday opened the Pinglu Canal, providing the country's landlocked southwestern region with a shorter route to the coast and overseas markets, particularly those in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China's largest trading partner.

Constructed at a cost of 72.7 billion yuan (about $10.75 billion), the 134.2-kilometer canal connects Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with the Beibu Gulf, the nearest maritime outlet for much of southwestern China.

The canal forms part of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a strategic route linking China's inland areas with ASEAN and other international markets.

It is the first river-to-sea canal project to have ...