A special report from September 16th detailed Hezhou's strategic push towards maritime trade and regional integration. On September 11th, at the production facility of Hezhou Zhongheng Electronics Co., Ltd., automated machinery operated steadily as frontline workers expertly performed cable cutting, pressing, and automotive wire harness assembly to fulfill pending orders. "Our order book for the fourth quarter is very solid; in September alone, orders for automotive wiring harnesses approached 20 million yuan," stated Jiang Yunqun, the company's production manager. He noted that the firm's foreign trade output value reached 537 million yuan in the first three quarters, and they are expanding recruitment to boost capacity, aiming for a full-year output value of 1 billion yuan. As an OEM producer of computer peripherals, mobile communication devices, and automotive connecting wires, the company exports to Europe, the US, Australia, and Japan, with foreign trade comprising 60% of its total revenue. This enterprise's activity exemplifies how many export-oriented manufacturers in Hezhou are seizing opportunities presented by new logistics corridors. Following the opening of the Pinglu Canal, the inland waterway distance for southwest cargo reaching the sea via the Beibu Gulf is shortened by about 560 kilometers, potentially reducing comprehensive logistics costs by 18% to 30%. This provides a fresh channel to the sea for Hezhou's outward-looking industries. Although Hezhou is neither a border nor coastal city, it remains committed to its role as the Guangxi demonstration zone for eastward integration. It is simultaneously deepening ties with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and actively participating in the New Western Land-Sea Corridor, leveraging the dual strategy of "eastward integration and seaward expansion" to capitalize on the Pinglu Canal for industrial growth.

Expanding the Maritime Corridor Network

On September 11th, at the Baima interchange construction site of the Guizhong Expressway's Zhongshan section, workers were pushing forward with pavement and ancillary works, inching closer to the full connection of that segment. "This expressway, linking Guilin and Hezhou, is a vital connecting line for the New Western Land-Sea Corridor," explained Shi Yufeng, the work area director for the 9th contract section. Once completed, this road will significantly enhance transportation efficiency in northern Guangxi, smoothing Hezhou's road network connections westwards to the New Western Land-Sea Corridor and eastwards to the Greater Bay Area. Despite not being a coastal city, Hezhou is persistently building roads and bridges oriented towards the sea. Leveraging opportunities from becoming a transportation powerhouse, Hezhou is fully implementing a transportation expansion initiative, densifying its integrated transport network, and acting as the "pioneer" for eastward integration and maritime access. At the Zhongshan railway freight yard, gantry cranes continuously hoist containers onto the stacking ground. Calcium carbonate products, electronic components, and fresh agricultural goods are assembled and containerized here. With a whistle blast, the Gui-East Sea-Rail Intermodal Train of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor departs for coastal ports like Tieshan Port and Zhanjiang. This yard has now become Hezhou's "inland dry port", where local cargo is marshalled and shipped directly overseas via sea-rail intermodal transport, a high-volume, low-cost model that lets "Made in Hezhou" goods bypass detours and reach international markets directly. He Dong, deputy director of the Hezhou Municipal Transportation Bureau, stated that the city is continuously refining its multimodal transport system, operating regular sea-rail intermodal trains, and launching "one-order" rail-water services such as "Zhongshan-Tieshan Port-Rizhao Port" and "Zhongshan-Zhanjiang-Ningbo". These initiatives promote the shift of bulk cargo transport from road to rail and water. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the city's cumulative railway freight volume reached 50.3827 million tons, a 124.83% increase from the "13th Five-Year Plan", reducing per-ton logistics costs for businesses by nearly 30% compared to pure road transport. With the Pinglu Canal now navigable, local cargo routed via sea-rail intermodal can connect to canal routes, further cutting comprehensive outbound logistics costs, offering a more economical southern passage for bulk goods previously needing to travel via the Pearl River Delta. As the corridor network thickens, the path to the sea becomes clearer. "During the '14th Five-Year Plan' period, Hezhou's total fixed asset investment in comprehensive transportation reached 41.5 billion yuan," He Dong told reporters. The city has completed five expressways (Xinwu, Lianhe, Hezhou North Bypass, Cangzhao, Pingzhao), forming a closed loop around the city. The Guiyang-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway now operates at 300 km/h, and direct high-speed rail services to Hong Kong stop at Hezhou station, placing the city within the "1.5-hour economic circle" of the Greater Bay Area and the "3-hour commuting circle" of Nanning. The main section of the Guijiang River waterway in Hezhou, navigable by 1,000-ton vessels, is complete. Additionally, the Hezhou Civil Airport has received pre-feasibility study feedback from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, taking a key step towards realizing its "aviation dream".

Not being coastal, yet advancing towards the sea. Hezhou is currently accelerating the construction of its "rail-road-water" multimodal transport system, weaving a denser maritime corridor network across eastern Guangxi. This facilitates leading industries like electronic information, gold and jewelry, and high-end calcium carbonate to connect with global consumer markets via the Greater Bay Area, while also utilizing the Pinglu Canal to forge new export paths to ASEAN, enabling more "Made in Hezhou" products to reach Beibu Gulf ports and the world at lower costs.

Bolstering Key Industries with Seaward Ambitions

On September 12th, at the Guangxi Hezhou Huacai Modern Agriculture Co., Ltd. workshop, water splashed on cleaning lines and peelers spun at high speed as workers rushed to process taro for export orders bound for ASEAN on the production line. This enterprise now sees over 65% of its sales from foreign trade, with average monthly taro exports around 700 tons. It is currently expanding capacity to push monthly exports beyond 1,000 tons, aiming to capture a larger share of the overseas specialty agricultural products market. "The hardest part for companies going global is often not product quality, but the various hidden barriers in cross-border operations," said Liang Tianle, the company's general manager. While agricultural products from the fields accelerate their journey overseas, the Pinggui Gold and Jewelry Industrial Park, nearly a hundred kilometers away, is also broadening its export horizons through professional exhibitions in the Greater Bay Area. From September 9th to 12th, the 2026 Shenzhen International Jewelry Fair was held at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center. The Pinggui District organized 10 enterprises from the Guangxi Gold and Jewelry Industrial Park to participate collectively. "We brought our latest series featuring ancient gold craftsmanship like weaving, granulation, and kesi techniques, and have already received inquiries from over 10 merchants," said Wang Xia, business manager of Guangxi Xulida Gold and Jewelry Co., Ltd. She emphasized that the exhibition provides an efficient platform for display and networking, hoping to leverage Shenzhen's jewelry industry influence to secure more production and sales collaborations. The Guangxi Gold and Jewelry Industrial Park currently hosts 127 enterprises, boasting a mature industrial chain covering all segments. In 2025, its comprehensive gold output value reached 12.259 billion yuan, with a gold processing volume of 65.13 tons, accounting for nearly 13% of national gold usage, ranking third nationwide. From January to August this year, the park achieved a total output value of 7.772 billion yuan. Leveraging the sea route via the Pinglu Canal, logistics costs for importing processing auxiliary materials and exporting finished gold and jewelry products in Hezhou will be further compressed. The efficiency of shipping goods from the RCEP cross-border e-commerce selection center will also significantly improve, continually widening the export radius for Hezhou's "Pinggui Jewelry". As the specialty agriculture and gold jewelry sectors secure their links to the sea, emerging industries in the Hezhou High-tech Zone are also accelerating their layout to benefit from the canal. On September 15th, a long-endurance, heavy-payload hybrid drone equipment manufacturing base, with a total investment of 830 million yuan, was officially established. "Anchored in our strategic positioning for seaward development, we are vigorously promoting our products abroad," said Mao Jianhua, deputy director of the Hezhou High-tech Zone Administrative Committee. The park is simultaneously upgrading the traditional calcium carbonate industry chain and expediting the establishment of medical equipment and low-altitude economy industries. With the opening of the Pinglu Canal, bulk building materials and high-end equipment from Hezhou can be exported overseas at low cost via inland waterway shipping. Export businesses previously constrained by high logistics expenses now face a new growth window. Hezhou is transforming its geographical disadvantage of being landlocked into a new industrial advantage by leveraging the canal for direct river-sea access.

Optimizing the Environment for Seaward Development

Recently, due to fluctuations in international crude oil prices, costs for overseas trunk logistics have continued to rise. In response, the Hezhou Municipal Commerce Bureau proactively visited enterprises to help coordinate and optimize cross-border logistics routes, providing quality foreign trade services that directly reduce extra cross-border shipping expenses. This practical support offers a "reassurance pill" to companies rushing to fulfill orders. This service detail highlights Hezhou's ongoing efforts to refine its open business environment for seaward development and precisely safeguard foreign trade entities with both intensity and warmth. Previously, consignments of taro bound for ASEAN had to be transported by road first to Pearl River Delta ports before heading south overseas, taking at least five days with a comprehensive logistics cost exceeding 180 yuan per ton. Since the Pinglu Canal officially opened, Hezhou's agricultural specialties like taro, fruits, and vegetables can travel via the Guijiang River, merge into the Xijiang main line, and reach Beibu Gulf ports directly through the canal. The total transit time is compressed to two days, and per-ton outbound logistics costs drop by nearly 40%, connecting cost-effectively with ASEAN markets without the need to detour through the Pearl River Delta. "On April 22nd this year, a batch of container trucks carrying Australian imported oats arrived at the designated processing plant for imported grain under Hezhou Customs from the Wuzhou Customs Lijiazhuang Wharf. This marked the smooth clearance of Guangxi's first batch of imported (edible) oats under conditional release conditions, reducing port detention time by 2-5 days for the single batch," stated Li Kancheng, section chief of the Supervisory Section at Hezhou Customs. Previously, addressing the industry bottleneck of numerous inspection items and long clearance cycles for imported edible oats, Hezhou Customs established a tripartite communication channel involving port customs, local customs, and enterprises. They optimized the entire closed-loop process, coordinating port inspection, sampling and testing, and post-release supervision. By seeking policy support from the General Administration of Customs, they tailored a coordinated supervision plan for the conditional release of imported edible oats. "The clearance efficiency for imported edible oats in Hezhou has seen a breakthrough improvement. In March, the overall import clearance time at Hezhou Customs was 284.4 hours; after the policy took effect, it decreased month by month, reaching 3.78 hours by July," reported Ye Jianqing, section chief of the Comprehensive Business Section at Hezhou Customs. Following the canal's opening, bulk grains and processing raw materials imported by Hezhou can also travel via river-sea intermodal transport directly to the Xijiang branch lines. Compared to previous full road transport, per-ton raw material import logistics costs can be reduced by 25%, and transit times shortened by over 3 days, opening further cost reduction space for food processing enterprises. Since the beginning of this year, Hezhou has focused on the practical operational pain points of foreign trade enterprises, implementing a comprehensive set of stability policies. This includes accurately implementing export tax rebates and special funds for stabilizing foreign trade, significantly simplifying declaration processes and compressing fund allocation cycles. At customs, the "early declaration" and "two-step declaration" models are being fully promoted, reducing overall clearance times by nearly 30% and directly lowering cross-border logistics costs for businesses. Concurrently, the city is deepening the expansion and quality improvement of processing trade, building high-level foreign trade service platforms to enhance trade facilitation across the entire chain. Leveraging transnational chamber of commerce resources, it helps enterprises forge connections and "borrow a boat to go to sea". From January to August 2026, Hezhou's total foreign trade import and export value reached 1.87 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 51%, with exports at 1.61 billion yuan, up 94%, placing its overall growth rate among the top in the region. With the opening of the Pinglu Canal, Hezhou, with an unprecedented openness, is rapidly transforming from a landlocked inland city into a frontier of openness, "connected to the sea by corridors, integrated with the Bay Area through supporting industries, and going global via ports". It is turning the weakness of its "inland location" into the unique development advantage of "bay-sea linkage".