Guangxi Marine Economy Development "14th Five-Year" Plan: Building a Pinglu Canal Economic Belt

The General Office of the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region recently issued the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Marine Economy in Guangxi". The plan proposes building an economic belt along the Pinglu Canal. It identifies 33 counties along the coast, the Pinglu Canal, the main navigation route of the Xijiang River, and the valleys of the Liujiang and Youjiang Rivers as priority areas. The plan emphasizes strengthening infrastructure connectivity and industrial collaboration, promoting the aggregation of population, industry, and production factors to these priority areas, forming a main axis for coastal development that extends to other regions for coordinated growth. It aims to fully connect with ASEAN and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, focusing on creating a "vein-like" layout for the coastal industry that is centered and radiates outward. It accelerates the construction of the Nanning urban agglomeration, leveraging Nanning's role as the capital to lead high-quality development of coastal industries through cross-border finance, digital economy, and scientific research and development, ultimately building an international metropolis geared towards open cooperation with ASEAN. It promotes the coordinated development of the Pinglu Canal economic belt with the Xijiang coastal economic belt and the Beibu Gulf coastal economic belt.