On a rainy late-September afternoon at Vietnam's Can Tho Port, heavy cranes rumbled into motion, unloading containers from the freighter Beigang Nanning Borun.

It was a routine dockworker's job, but a milestone moment for regional trade: the arrival of the first China-bound cargo vessel to dock at an overseas port following the opening of China's landmark Pinglu Canal.

The ship departed from Nanning in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region seven days before, navigated the newly built canal, cut through the Beibu Gulf and established a direct river-sea link to the heart of the Mekong Delta. On its return leg, local exporters have already secured space for 1,000 tons of Vietnamese rice bran – a small part of the seamless supply chain now taking shape.

The story offers a glimpse of how the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road is creating new opportunities 13 years after it was proposed.

Beyond shorter journeys

The numbers behind the 134.2-kilometer Pinglu Canal are impressive on paper, with the canal shortening the traditional inland route to the sea by more than 560 kilometers and cutting logistics costs by up to 30%.

But its significance goes beyond shorter journeys.

By connecting China's vast, landlocked southwestern region to the maritime networks of Southeast Asia, the canal effectively links the northern overland Silk Road Economic Belt directly to the southern 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Railways, inland waterways and deep-water ports are no longer isolated arteries; they are coming together as an integrated multimodal network.

For ASEAN economies, the benefits are immediate. The streamlined corridor opens new doors for warehousing, food processing and cold-chain logistics, giving perishable exports, from tropical fruits to fresh seafood, a faster, more direct pipeline into China's booming interior.

From shipping corridors to shared horizons

At Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, ships set sail for destinations across five continents and four oceans, with more than 300 container routes linking the port to over 200 countries and regions and more than 700 ports. The port has ranked first in the world in cargo throughput for 17 consecutive years, offering a striking snapshot of China's role in global maritime trade.

This vast network of ships and ports is also a vivid reflection of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the broader blue economy.

In 2015, China issued the Vision and Actions on Jointly Building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which called for closer maritime partnerships, more efficient transport channels and cooperation in areas including the blue economy and sustainable use of marine resources.

Over the past 13 years, that vision has increasingly been translated into concrete links and practical cooperation.

One example is "Silk Road Maritime," an international shipping logistics service platform launched in China in 2018. As of September 2025, it had 148 named shipping routes covering 150 ports in 48 countries and regions, with cumulative container throughput exceeding 24 million TEUs and breakbulk cargo throughput reaching 27 million tons. The platform has become a channel for strengthening cooperation among ports, shipping companies and businesses along the routes.

China's maritime cooperation has also expanded beyond trade and transportation. Since 2012, China has signed maritime cooperation agreements with more than 50 countries and international organizations and was among the first signatories of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, also known as the BBNJ Agreement. China has also conducted joint scientific expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctic with other countries.

Looking ahead to China's 15th Five-Year Plan, the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road is stepping into a new era defined by high-quality growth, deeper global integration and shared opportunities.

Rather than viewing maritime expansion as a zero-sum game, China's next blueprint places international cooperation at its core – advancing the vision of a "shared ocean" through joint scientific research, blue economy partnerships and resilient green supply chains. By opening its vibrant market wider and working with regional partners, China is converting ocean routes into a global public platform, underscoring that true connectivity is built not on dominance, but on shared prosperity.

Read more: How China Works