Chongqing Is Closer Than You Think by ANDAMAN PARTNERS Co-Founder Rachel Wu

Chongqing has turned itself from a traditional industry base into a modern manufacturing hub.

A new waterway in southern China is quietly redrawing the map for western China’s trade. Analysis by ANDAMAN PARTNERS Co-Founder Rachel Wu on how goods from western China reach the world.

Hello everyone, Rachel from ANDAMAN PARTNERS, on the ground in Chongqing, China.

A new waterway in southern China is quietly redrawing the map for western China’s trade. Following on from my last video, today’s story is about how goods from western China reach the world.

On 16 September, Pinglu Canal opened in Guangxi in Southern China. It’s China’s first river-to-sea canal in over seventy years. The 134-kilometre canal links the Xijiang river system at Nanning in Guangxi with the Beibu Gulf on China’s southern coast, next to Vietnam. It can take vessels of up to 5,000 tonnes.

Cargo from the southwest used to go the long way around, through the Pearl River Delta. Now the trip is over 560 kilometres shorter, and logistics cost is expected to fall by 18 to 30%.

The canal also strengthens the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. Factories across the southwest can now send goods by rail to Nanning in Guangxi, then by ship down the canal to Qinzhou Port on China’s southern coast, and on to Southeast Asia.

The route boosts exports and imports. Yes, Chongqing does make things, but it is also a rising consumer market in China. Last year, Chongqing overtook Shanghai as the country’s largest consumer market for total retail sales.

What I see on the ground is a supply chain being rebuilt, connecting western China and southeast Asia and beyond. Whether you’re building a supply chain out of China or selling into one of its biggest consumer markets, Chongqing now is closer than you think.

Come and visit Chongqing and see it yourself.

Happy to share more, and let’s connect!