Artificial canals linking Pearl River to Yangtze River to be ready by 2035

Transport vessels pass through the ship lock area of Changzhou Water Control Project. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Meanwhile, the advanced inland river network will help connect major cities along the rivers with Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, located at the mouth of Pearl River, in the future, helping reduce transportation and production costs, raising efficiency, benefiting economic cooperation and development along the river, Li said.

"The Ministry of Transport has organized the navigational affair administration and relevant departments in relevant provinces and regions and prestigious experts to conduct preliminary researches on the construction of the two artificial canals in December," Li said.

And all parties have agreed construction of the two canals will help form an advanced inland river transportation network and further boost the development of the country's transportation industry and economy, Li said.

The Pearl River and the Yangtze River that run through prosperous cities in the Pearl River and Yangtze River deltas are the two busiest rivers in transportation in the country.

In 2018, the freight volume on the Pearl River reached more than 950 million metric tons, up year-on-year 5.7 percent. And the container throughput along the Pearl River ports came to 12.8 million TEUs last year, up year-on-year one percent.

Inland transport vessels operating along Xijiang River, the chief tributary of the Pearl River. [Photo provided to China Daily]