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Factbox: Key facts about China's Three Gorges new waterway project

Source: Xinhua | 2026-06-09 | Editor:Diana

China on Monday officially started construction of its Three Gorges new waterway project. Here are important facts regarding this mega project on the Yangtze River.

It is the first major project to break ground during China's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), a critical stage in the country's efforts to advance toward its goal of basically realizing socialist modernization by 2035.

The project, with a total investment of about 77.2 billion yuan (roughly 11.3 billion U.S. dollars), consists of two parts.

A new five-tier, dual-track ship lock, designed for 10,000-tonne vessels, will be built north of the existing lock at the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest water conservancy project.

To upgrade navigation facilities, the smaller downstream Gezhouba Dam will see its No. 3 ship lock demolished and replaced with two new single-tier ship locks.

Upon completion, the Three Gorges Dam will have ship locks featuring four tracks plus the ship lift, with a combined annual cargo throughput capacity of 336 million tonnes. Ship locks at the Gezhouba Dam will also feature four tracks, with a total capacity of 360 million tonnes.

Once operational, the new waterway will nearly double the cargo throughput capacity of the Three Gorges hub, significantly boosting shipping efficiency.

The Three Gorges new ship lock and its approach channels, spanning approximately 6,680 meters, are scheduled for completion in 112 months, while the Gezhouba upgrade is planned to take 95 months, both including a 12-month preparation period.

The project is expected to set world records for inland ship lock construction in navigable vessel dimensions, chamber size and earthwork excavation, said Niu Xinqiang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

The design emphasizes ecological protection by including dedicated fish passages and using construction methods that minimize impact on fish and other aquatic species, Niu said.

Spanning 11 provincial-level regions from the inland west to the eastern coast, the Yangtze River Economic Belt accounts for nearly half of national GDP. It hosts major industrial clusters covering metallurgy, electronics and automobiles, while newer sectors such as AI, biomedicine and new energy are rapidly taking shape.

This economic belt is also one of China's major hubs for foreign investment and trade, accounting for nearly half of the country's foreign trade.

River transport remains vital to China's economy, especially along the Yangtze, which stretches over 6,300 km and is known as the country's golden waterway.

The new waterway will be beneficial to the high-quality development of a transport corridor along the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the implementation of the Yangtze River Economic Belt strategy, and the establishment of a dual circulation development pattern. It will also support the concept of ecological priority and green development. 

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