About 50 km from the Pinglu Canal's northern end, French chemicals producer SNF Group is building a plant in Nanning's Liujing Industrial Park, with an annual capacity of 370,000 tons.

The factory, which will be the group's largest production base in southern China, is expected to start operations in stages before June 2027.

"The Pinglu Canal will reduce our logistics costs and enable convenient delivery to South China and all of Southeast Asia. It offers great advantages in both materials sourcing and product distribution," said Thomas Wilsius, head of the company's Nanning project.

The waterway is likely to bring more Southeast Asian products to the Chinese market.

Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime A. FlorCruz, who visited the canal with a group of ASEAN envoys in July, said that fresh seafood and other time-sensitive products could be exported more efficiently from his country to China.

"In the long run, this will benefit not only the local people, but the broader region and even the world," he said, adding that shorter shipping distances, lower freight costs and faster deliveries would bring tangible benefits to fishermen, farmers, traders and entrepreneurs.

For Shen Guiping, a resident of Shangjing village in Qinzhou, who took part in relocation work for the project, the opening of the Pinglu Canal carries a more personal meaning.

"It almost feels like a dream that has finally been realized. It is something generations of locals hoped for," she said.

Contact the writers at luowangshu@chinadaily.com.cn