Asean firms hope Pinglu Canal will open China market, but fear flood of imports - South China Morning Post

The 134.2km Pinglu Canal, which opened earlier this month, helps connect China’s southwestern hinterland with international maritime corridors

Frank Chenin Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionPublished: 9:00am, 28 Sep 2026Updated: 9:10am, 28 Sep 2026Vietnamese coffee chain Trung Nguyen Legend has been brewing up big business in China, serving its signature slow-dripped ground blends sourced fresh from Vietnam.

As its network of stores expands across China, logistics has become a bottleneck. It focuses on buying coffee beans in season from plantations in Vietnam, but road-and-sea transport to China follows a circuitous route with occasional delays.

It hopes China’s first river-to-sea canal, which opened earlier this month, will offer a short cut.

Businesses across Southeast Asia also hope the Pinglu Canal, which fills a missing link between China’s southwestern hinterland and international maritime corridors, can be a conduit for the flow of goods into the world’s second-largest economy, not just another route for the tidal wave of Chinese exports hitting their shores.