China greenlights mega-project canal linking resource-rich Jiangxi to wealthy Zhejiang
A new 767-kilometre-long canal linking the inland rare earth hub of Jiangxi province with the eastern coastal powerhouse of Zhejiang has officially been included in the government's agenda, according to a recently released policy document, as the Chinese government steps up efforts to expand its inland waterway network.
Advertisement
China already boasts a sprawling web of
high-speed rail and highways that reach deep into nearly every corner of the country, but officials have increasingly turned to rivers and artificial waterways – part of a broader push to lower logistical costs and integrate less-developed inland regions with wealthier coastal hubs, analysts said.
The Jiangxi-Zhejiang Canal is part of a
mega-project aimed at connecting Guangdong, Jiangxi and Zhejiang by water. It is expected to become the most expensive artificial canal ever built in China, with an estimated investment of 320 billion yuan (US$44.4 billion), nearly three times that of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.
In an action plan released in early May, the Zhejiang provincial government said it would begin to 'plan and advance' the canal's construction, aiming to turn the province into a national leader in inland water transport by 2035.
If completed, the canal would connect Jiangxi province – a growing manufacturing hub for electric vehicles with abundant rare earth and copper reserves – to seaports in Zhejiang, one of China's wealthiest provinces.
Advertisement
Planned as a Class III waterway, the canal would be able to accommodate 1,000-tonne vessels, according to Ministry of Transport guidelines. Once operational, it could handle around 25 million tonnes of cargo annually, the ministry said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
27 minutes ago
- RTHK
Youths 'can bridge AI gap between Global South, North'
Youths 'can bridge AI gap between Global South, North' Boao Forum for Asia secretary general Zhang Jun, right, says artificial intelligence development gaps will fuel further digital divisions. Photo: RTHK Participants at the forum at the Convention and Exhibition Centre said access and skills for youths and young entrepreneurs posed challenges for their economies. Photo: RTHK Boao Forum for Asia secretary general Zhang Jun said on Friday youths play a key role in bridging the artificial intelligence development gap between the Global South and Global North. He made the remarks as the International Science, Technology and Innovation Forum of the Boao Forum made its debut in Hong Kong, with previous editions held in Macau, Zhuhai and Guangzhou. Speaking at a roundtable session, Zhang, who served as a permanent representative of China to the United Nations, said the digital divide, which includes AI development gaps, will further weigh on global fragmentation. He called on youths to help forge global collaboration to tackle such challenges. "Youths have a key role... in really trust-building, partnership-building, which is also badly needed in today's world, because we are more divided than [at any time] after the end of the Second World War. "And we are living in a world which is becoming very much dangerous because of the failure of the international governance system, including the United Nations," Zhang said. Many of the forum's participants pointed out challenges encountered during their countries' own digital transformation, especially with access and skills for youths and young entrepreneurs. Many said it's essential to ramp up digital literacy training and partnerships between nations. Mimala Chanthasone, an official of the Institute of Foreign Affairs in Laos, cited the China-Laos AI Innovation Cooperation Centre as an example. Launched in February, she said the centre marks the first China-Asean AI innovation cooperation. Conrad Ho, a member of the Youth Development Commission, called for more efforts to be made to address the employability gap created by the emergence of AI technology. "The post-AI world presents many challenges and also opportunities, including how youth might gain more senior-level skills as AI reduces the demand for entry-level and middle-management roles," he said. "I think as AI unlocks more capacity, we're going to transition from [having more] large corporations to smaller ventures, one-person teams, smaller teams that can still create very massive value. "And yet for all these companies, for them to be successful, the founders still need to have the critical hard and soft skills that they need to learn." The two-day innovation forum ends on Saturday.
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
As costs of Trump's chaos become clear, expect him to shift the blame
Perhaps this is a good moment for an audit of US President Donald Trump and his 'Make America Great Again' (Maga) acolytes' efforts to reshape the world as we have known it for over seven decades. That means reviewing the 130-or-so days since his inauguration, during which he has seeded the storm, and looking towards the 500-or-so days up to next year's US midterm elections, during which he is set to reap the whirlwind. Advertisement One clear certainty is that we face a period of unrelenting uncertainty, some deliberately provoked, but most of it the unintended product of mouth before brain. How much harm this will do, and whether Trump's team will succeed in 'blame-shifting' its way out of electoral responsibility, has yet to be revealed. But the auguries don't look good. Using more than 150 executive orders over the four months since his inauguration, Trump has successfully marginalised Congress, made 'ad hoc-ism' an art form and stirred a hornet's nest of conflicts with friends and foes alike. Trump's Maga loyalists remain convinced that the damage caused will be short-lived. The technocratic consensus does not share that conviction, but as Trump's procrastination, reversals and pauses generate considerable distance between cause and effect, he will no doubt try to shift the blame for inevitable harm elsewhere. 01:00 Trump justifies 'China tariffs' as US effort to curb 'greatest job theft in the world' Trump justifies 'China tariffs' as US effort to curb 'greatest job theft in the world'
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Trump and Xi discuss Taiwan, troubled US-China trade ties in call breaking stand-off
Read more about this: Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump held a much-anticipated call on June 5, 2025, during which they discussed Taiwan and their troubled trade relationship before extending invitations to visit each other's capitals. Trump on social media said the call 'resulted in a very positive conclusion for both countries'. The news followed weeks of tit-for-tat accusations as Washington and Beijing blamed each other for breaching a deal reached weeks ago in Geneva. The world's two largest economies had agreed to cut mutual tariffs for 90 days, an outcome Trump then dubbed a 'total reset'.
