Why is the chinese spending so much to develop a network of modern canals for freight transportation in China?

为什么中国要花这么多钱来打造现代货运运河网络？

以下是Quora网友的评论：

Bill Chen

I don’t have much time so I’ll sketch an answer.

Riverine transport is one of the lowest cost and efficient transport system, particularly goods and commodities. It is also a great tool for flood alleviation and irrigation, among others.

The best thing is, canals can be built with locks to overcome the natural gradient.

What the Chinese are doing with the canals, like they have been for thousands of years, is the same as what they have recently done with highways, electric grids and HSR, and that is to bring connectivity and modernization to areas previously unserved by services.

我简单说说吧。

河运是成本最低、效率最高的运输系统之一，特别是对货物和商品来说。运河对防洪和灌溉等方面也是一项十分重要的工具。

其中最好的一点是，通过在运河上建水闸来解决自然的地形落差。

中国人在运河修建领域的努力，就像他们几千年来一直在做的一样，就像他们近年一直修建高速公路、电网和高铁一样，目的就是要为过往的交通盲区也实现连通性和现代化。

Take Guangx, for instance. Even my grandma, a native of Guangdong who had left China for decades, told me people from Guangx were dull and couldn’t compete with those from Guangdong. She stated Guangdong ate way better than their next-door neighbor.

Which is truth bundled with prejudice, like most folksy observations.

A major disadvantage of Zhuang-administered Guangx is the flow of the rivers, which go east to discharge in the Guangdong coast. River and marine transport is the historical reason for Guangdong’s prosperity, and why Hong Kong remains a key seaport and entryway to China today.

以广西为例。我奶奶，几十年前就离开中国的广东人，也告诉我广西人很迟钝，拼不过广东人。她说广东人的伙食要比隔壁的广西人好太多了。

这是夹杂着偏见的事实，老百姓看得最真切。

广西是壮族自治区，面临的一个主要问题就是河流的流向，这些河向东流入广东。河运和海运正是广东之所以繁荣昌盛的历史原因，也是香港今天仍是通往中国的重要海港和入口的原因。

Joseph Loh

By the 13th century it consisted of more than 2,000 km of artificial waterways, linking five of China's main river basins. It has played an important role in ensuring the country's economic prosperity and stability and is still in use today as a major means of communication. China has plans for grand canals

13世纪前，中国就有了2000多公里的人工河道，串连起了中国的五个主要河流流域。这些运河在促进国家经济繁荣和维护国家稳定方面发挥了重要作用，今天仍是主要的交流手段。中国有修建大运河的宏伟计划。

The building scheme is part of an effort to become a “transportation power”, Just as the U.S. and Western allies are determined to "de-risk" from China, as illustrated at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima in mid-May, Beiing is keen to reduce its own trade dependencies. Both sides "have the same fear," analysts wrote in a report published by the Peterson Institute for International Economics in March: "that the other side will suddenly weaponize trade flows -- cut off imports or exports -- in the name of security."

运河修建计划是中国奔向“运输大国”所做的努力之一。5月中旬在广岛举行的七国集团峰会上，美国和西方盟国决心消除中国的“风险”，中国也希望降低自己对别国的贸易依赖。分析人士在彼得森国际经济研究所今年3月发表的一份报告中写道，双方“都有同样的担忧”：“对方会以国家安全的名义突然用贸易流动来作为武器—切断进出口贸易。”

"Trying to get ahead of that, each is now attempting to diversify."

The inglu Canal is aimed at boosting already growing trade with the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, all of which are grouped with China under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade framework, officials said. Even now, ASEAN and China are each other's largest trade partners, with two-way trade rising 52% from 2019 to 2022 -- exceeding the 20% increase with the European Union.

“为了占取先机，双方现在都在尝试扩大多元化。”

官员们表示，平陆运河的目的是促进中国与东南亚国家联盟10个成员国之间不断增长的贸易，这些国家都是区域全面经济伙伴关系(RCEP)自由贸易框架下的成员国。如今，东盟和中国互为最大的贸易伙伴，2019年至2022年期间双方的贸易额增长了52%，超过了中国与欧盟之间20%的贸易额增幅。

Kanthaswamy Balasubramaniam

Cost & Accessibility

Canals provide inexpensive freight and can transport bulk commodities like Gravel, Diesel, Concrete Blocks and Bricks and Silt

The Average freight rate is 55% compared to the same by Railways

It reduces the overall cost especially for commodities where time of delivery can take at least 6–24 hours more

因为成本&交通便利度的考虑。

运河可以提供价格低廉的货运，可以运输砾石、柴油、混凝土块、砖块和淤泥等大宗商品。

与铁路相比，平均运费仅需铁路的55%。

河运降低了商品总成本，特别是对于运输时长至少需要6-24小时的商品。

Plus the Canal network when fully built can reach many Rural communities and Districts that are currently tougher to deliver through Rail

Today Rail directly delivers to 46% of China , a record for Asia (Indian Railways directly delivers to only 25.1% of India) and by 2030, it is expected to deliver 60–65%

The remaining areas are delivered by a combination of Trucks or Waterways

The Canal network when fully built can deliver to almost all these places and render and lower the transportation costs which in turn mean lower prices paid by the Public of China

此外，运河网络完全建成后可以连接起许多乡村和地区，这些地区目前很难连接铁路运输。

现在中国铁路可以通达中国46%的地区，这已然是亚洲的最高记录(印度铁路只能通达印度25.1%的地区)，到2030年，中国铁路预计将通达60-65%的地区。

其余地区的运输可通过卡车或水路完成。

运河网络完全建成后，几乎可以串联起所有地区，降低运输成本，这也意味着中国公众需要支付的运输成本将进一步降低。

Flyhi Gao

Around 1,500 years ago, China's Sui Dynasty, during its relatively short reign of just over 40 years, dedicated over a decade to excavating the longest canal in Chinese history. This canal linked the northern capital, present-day Beiing, with the southern city of Hangzhou, spanning a distance of approxmately 1,794 kilometers. Even by today's standards, it would be considered an mega-engineering feat. However, in the agricultural society of that era, this ambitious project contributed to the financial downfall of the Sui Dynasty.

Nevertheless, this remarkable canal is still in use today. It's fascinating how Emperor Wen of Sui made such determination. Perhaps the Chinese people have an inherent inclination for triumphing over nature against all odds.

大约1500年前，中国隋朝在其短短的40多年统治期间，用十多年时间挖掘了中国历史上最长的运河。这条运河连接了位于北方的首都(今天的北京)和南方的杭州，全长约1794公里。即便按照今天的标准，也是一项非常巨大的工程。但在当时的农业社会，这个庞大的工程导致了隋朝的财政垮台。

但这条非凡的运河至今仍在使用。隋文帝为何做出这样的决定，令人十分好奇。也许中国人天生就有一种排除万难、战胜自然的伟大志向。

Ray Comeau

I have not seen reports about China building a network of canals in China. There is a report from last year of building one canal to shorten the current transportation distance on a river in Guangx Zhuang autonomous region. The new 135km-long inglu Canal will shorten ships travelling to Nanning 560km in travelling distance. BTW- this would be the first new canal built in China since 1949.

The only other canal project I am aware of is the Nicaraguan canal project. Which upon completion would enable the largest cargo ships to pass from the Pacific to the Atlantic without having to go around South America.

我并没有看到中国建设运河网的媒体报道。去年我曾看过一份报道称，广西壮族自治区正在修建一条运河，目的是为了缩短广西某河流的运输距离。新开通的平陆运河全长135公里，可以让驶往南宁的船舶的航行距离缩短560公里。这是中国自1949年以来修建的第一条新运河。

我所知道的唯一一个运河项目是尼加拉瓜运河项目。等运河建成后，最大的货船就可以从太平洋直接通往大西洋，无需绕行南美洲。

William Tang

Chinese are devout Capitalist out to make a buck. Since ancient times, canals have been the most common and convenient means of ship goods to the market and make $. The government’s job is to create a stable environment for people to make $, and canals do just that. It keeps the people happy and prevents discontentment

中国人是虔诚的资本家，一心只想赚钱。自古以来，运河一直是将货物运往市场、交易生财的最常见也最方便的运输途径。中国的任务是为人们创造一个稳定的赚钱环境，而运河正是如此。运河可以取悦民众，减少不满

Nitesh Kumar Naik

There are a few reasons why the chinese is spending so much to develop a network of modern canals for freight transportation in China.

中国花费巨资来打造现代运河货运网络，有以下几个原因：

To reduce pollution: China is one of the most polluted countries in the world, and much of this pollution is caused by transportation. By shifting more freight traffic to canals, the government hopes to reduce air and water pollution.

To improve efficiency: Canals are a more efficient way to transport freight than roads or railways. They can carry more cargo, and they can do so at a lower cost.

To reduce congestion: China's roads and railways are becoming increasingly congested, and this is causing delays and higher transportation costs. Canals can help to reduce congestion by providing an alternative mode of transportation.

To promote economic development: Canals can help to promote economic development by connecting different parts of the country and making it easier to transport goods and people.

减少污染：中国是世界上污染最严重的国家之一，其中大部分污染都是由交通造成的。政府希望将更多货物运输转移到运河上，减少空气和水污染。

提高运输效率：运河是比公路或铁路更为高效的货运方式，可以运载更多的货物，成本也更低。

减少交通拥堵：中国的公路和铁路现在越来越拥挤，造成了延误、提高了运输成本。运河提供了另一种交通方式，有助于减少交通堵塞。

促进经济发展：运河可以连接各个地区，方便货物和客运，有助于促进经济发展。

The chinese has already made significant progress in develo a network of modern canals. In 2016, the government announced a plan to invest $1 trillion in canal construction over the next decade. This investment is expected to create millions of jobs and boost economic growth.

The development of a network of modern canals is a major undertaking, but it has the potential to make a significant positive impact on China's economy and environment.

中国在打造现代运河网方面取得了重大进展。2016年，中国宣布了一项计划，要在未来十年投资1万亿美元修建运河。这项投资预计将创造数百万个就业机会，促进经济增长。

打造现代运河网是一项重大事业，会对中国的经济和环境产生重大的积极影响。

Rizky Septian

For your information, canal and waterway improvement has been a thing for Chinese successive goverments since 2000 year ago. What the current goverment had been doing is nothing new.

我可以告诉你，从2000年前开始，中国历届政府一直在改善运河和航道。现任政府这些年做的事情算不上什么新鲜事。

Chris Keath

Stastic data for China and the world.

Canals for freight transportation: 1) large volume & large quantity 2) low cost/per volume or tone per km 3) low energy consumption.

For examples: the cost transportation for per km per tone, 1) for train is 0.163 Yuan, 2) for Expressway is 0.693 Yuan 3) for air freight is 1.8 Yuan, 4) for water or canal freight is 0.09 Yuan.

根据中国和世界的统计数据。

货运运河：

1)容载高、数量多

2)每吨/公里成本低

3)能耗低。每公里/吨的运输成本：火车为0.163元；高速公路为0.693元；空运为1.8元；水路或运河运输仅为0.09元。

Victor Luke

Transportation is key to trade. They look at the US which has the greatest waterway transport in the world and how that gives the US a lot of advantages when it comes to getting their products to market and getting imports cheaply to interior markets. China doesn’t have anywhere near that level of cheap internal transportation. Building more canals improves their transportation ability.

交通运输是贸易的关键。他们意识到美国拥有世界上最大的水路运输资源，因此在运输出口商品及低价进口商品拥有了很大优势。中国的国内运输成本要高出很多。修建运河提高了中国的运输能力。

Joel Davids

Related

Is the 'new' alternate Chinese backed 'Panama canal' still going to be built?

There has been relatively no movement for several years. The Chinese businessman who spearheaded the project is now broke. The assumption that the chinese which was presumably the financing arm of this project has come out last year.

There was never an actual business plan detailing the cost/benefit projections. Now that the second set of larger locks in Panama have been in operation , there is much less interest in the Nicaraguan project.

At this time, even though the Panama Canal can’t provide transit to the largest ships, there is not enough of them to support another canal. For now, the project is dead.

中国支持修建的“新巴拿马运河”还会继续修建吗？

这个项目几乎已经有好几年没有动静了，负责该项目的中国企业家现在已经破产了。据推测，中国为这个项目提供了贷款。

这个项目从未公布过详细的披露成本/收益预测的商业计划。鉴于巴拿马规模更大的第二个水闸项目已经投入使用，人们对尼加拉瓜项目的兴趣也慢慢减弱了。

巴拿马运河不能为最大的船只提供中转，也没有足够的船只来支撑另一条运河。目前，这个项目其实已经胎死腹中了。