Anhui, Jiangsu and Henan provinces plan to expand the Huaihe River and develop it into China's third 'Golden Waterway' allowing ships access to the sea.

The announcement was made at a seminar, held on August 28 in Bengbu of Anhui province, focusing on the development of the Huaihe River Ecologic and Economic Belt.

At the meeting, development and reform authorities from the provinces came up with an overall development program for the river. The river flows through the provinces and enters the Yangtze River, the third longest river in the world.

Transportation is among the major themes of the program. A certain number of locks will be built on the river so that ships can set sail. Huai'an, Bengbu, Huaibin, Zhoukou and Funing are set to be developed into international inland ports.

Above all, the program aims to create a new channel whereby 300,000-ton vessels can reach the sea from the Huaihe River. If that comes true, Huaihe will become another access point to the sea, following the Yangtze River and the Pearl River, officials said at the seminar.

The Anhui Provincial Development and Reform Commission together with its Henan and Jiangsu counterparts agreed to seek opinions from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Transport before submitting the program to the State Council, China's cabinet, for approval.

Edited by Michael Thai

(Source: cnanhui.org)