By Yuling Chen, EDITOR

Report on the Implementation of the 2018 Plan for National Economic and Social Development and on the 2019 Draft Plan for National Economic and Social Development (The Report for short) was issued recently. It has included the “new channel of the Three Gorges Project” into the key program of 2019.

The ships are passing through the Three Gorges ship lock in order. (Photo from CQCB)

The “Golden Waterway” of the Yangtze River is one of the busiest inland rivers for freight traffic worldwide.

“The total freight volume of the Yangtze River has reached 2.5 billion tons, equivalent to that of 125 railway lines.” Zhang Shuiping from Chongqing Gangwu Logistics Group Co., Ltd. said.

“The Three Gorges ship lock opened on June 16, 2003. It reached the planned standard of 100 million tons in 2011. However, in the past consecutive eight years, it was under overloaded operation.”

For this reason, the relevant department needs to maintain the ship lock nearly once every year.

Zhang Shuiping said, “Knowing the maintenance ahead of time, people would prepare the cargo in advance. For example, we had maintained it in March 2018, and people made preparation at the end of 2017. And that congestion had lasted from December 2017 to May 1, 2018.”

Thus, in 2018, the time for ships to pass the ship lock was 10 days (25 days at most). It was the near half-year-long congestion that added over RMB 1 billion of operation cost.

This year has witnessed significant progress in the deputies’ motions: The “Golden Waterway” has been involved in the key program this year.

The Report issued recently has also included the “new channel of the Three Gorge Project” into the key program of 2019.

Source: CQCB