Pinglu Canal started vessel trials on Wednesday, marking a key step toward the planned opening of this major river-to-sea waterway in south China in September.

The trials began when an unloaded 5,000-tonne vessel departed from the Xinfu service area along the 134-kilometer canal in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Stretching from the Pingtang River in Guangxi's Hengzhou City to the Beibu Gulf in the South China Sea, the canal is the backbone of the country's New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, which has evolved into a strategic route linking China's inland regions with ASEAN and other global markets.