Jiangsu Province convened a work conference in Wuxi City on March 19 to promote the development of water transport.

Xin Changxing, secretary of the CPC Jiangsu Committee and Fu Xuyin, vice minister of transport, made speeches at the meeting, which was presided over by the province’s governor Xu Kunlin.

Stressing the province’s geographical advantage and its leading role in water transport, Xi said the modern development of water transport aligns with the strategy of high-quality growth and serves as an essential solution to build a comprehensive transport system and reduce logistics costs.

Xin called for efforts to optimize the major waterways to enhance the water transport network and accelerate the construction of dedicated channels linking industrial parks and ports. He said it’s important to focus on the sector’s intelligent and green development, and promote the facility construction, service upgrades and efficiency improvements in a coherent manner. Priority should also be given to the expanding of transport routes and ensuring workplace safety, Xin said.

Fu highlighted Jiangsu’s distinctive position in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. He said the initiative to fully promote the construction of modern water transport system is vital to the province’s plan to build a modern transport pilot area, boost the delta’s transport integration, and lead the country’s water transport development.

Xu stressed the importance of focusing on the fostering of new quality productive forces, building a modern industrial system, and pursuing regional integrated development among other initiatives. Efforts are needed to advance key projects, serve the industrial development through further opening up, and create an open water transport network along with enhanced efficiency, he added.

The meeting also marked the commencement of the renovation on the Wuxi section of the Sunan Canal (the section of the Grand Canal in southern Jiangsu). The Sunan Canal, stretching 212.2 kilometers and passing through cities of Zhenjiang, Changzhou, Wuxi and Suzhou, is slated to become a Grade II waterway by next year, accommodating 2,000-tonne vessels around the clock.