The Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in southern China will further boost trade exchanges between the country and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the next five years by expanding logistics channels and formulating more supportive policies, a senior Guangxi official said.

Wei Tao, chairman of Guangxi and a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress, China's top legislature, said the region is "building a first-class channel connecting China and ASEAN", which will feature "the shortest travel time, the best services and the lowest costs through an integrated system of land, sea, air and digital networks".

China has been ASEAN's largest trading partner for 17 consecutive years, while ASEAN has been China's largest trading partner for six years. Guangxi is the only region that links China to ASEAN member states by land and sea, giving it a special position in bridging the two vast markets.

According to local authorities, the Pinglu Canal — the first direct river-to-sea canal project in China — is scheduled to open to traffic during the China-ASEAN Expo in September.

Wei said the canal will become a vital international link between China and ASEAN, featuring "the shortest distance, lowest cost and greatest convenience", adding that it will "enable ASEAN member states to connect more efficiently and conveniently with China's inland market".

As a flagship project of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a key logistics network connecting China's western regions to global markets, the Pinglu Canal spans 134.2 kilometers, linking the Pingtang River estuary in Nanning, the regional capital, to the Beibu Gulf in the South China Sea.

Upon completion, the canal will be capable of accommodating 5,000-metric-ton vessels, local authorities said. It will enable goods from southwestern China to reach overseas markets directly through the Qinzhou port, which is part of the Beibu Gulf Port, instead of through Guangdong province. This will shorten the journey by about 560 kilometers and save more than 5.2 billion yuan ($753 million) in logistics costs annually.

Wei said that Guangxi will continue to build cross-border railways, highways and ports, upgrade Nanning into a regional international aviation and postal hub, better utilize its international communications gateway, and further enhance connectivity with ASEAN member states.

Currently, Guangxi has two railway lines leading directly to the China-Vietnam border. Wei noted that as Guangxi is located right next to Vietnam, it serves as a key gateway to other ASEAN member states.

"Connected with ASEAN by mountains and rivers, sharing similar cultures and enjoying a long history of friendly exchanges, Guangxi stands at the forefront of China's opening-up and opens a window of opportunities for cooperation in the region," he said.

Official data showed that the freight volume of China-Vietnam trains departing from Guangxi reached a record high in 2025, with 37,000 twenty-foot equivalent units of export goods delivered, a year-on-year increase of 86 percent. The supply sources of these goods covered 25 provincial-level regions in China.

The Nanning Wuxu International Airport operates flights to all ASEAN member states, and its international cargo and mail throughput reached 81,600 tons last year.

The Beibu Gulf Port offers container shipping services to more than 200 ports in about 100 countries and regions worldwide. Last year, its container throughput surpassed 10 million TEUs for the first time.

Last year, Guangxi's imports and exports with ASEAN reached 429.22 billion yuan, up 8 percent year-on-year. Guangxi also operates 12 cross-border land cables connecting Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and other ASEAN member states.

Wei said the region has established a cooperation mechanism covering about 40 areas, such as artificial intelligence, industry, ports, finance, customs, agriculture and standardization, "fully aligning with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership rules to steadily expand institutional opening-up".

"We are accelerating the creation of a hub for convenient market operations in China's domestic and international dual circulation, and continuously improving the facilitation of investment, trade, consumption, capital flows, personnel exchanges and logistics," Wei said.

Guangxi is also speeding up the construction of major projects such as border and port industrial parks, and building cross-border industrial and supply chains with ASEAN member states in sectors such as chemicals and new energy materials, authorities said.

Zhang Li in Nanning contributed to this story.