China has officially begun construction of the Three Gorges new waterway project, a major infrastructure initiative aimed at expanding shipping capacity along the Yangtze River.
According to Chinese state media, the project will include a new navigation passage at the Three Gorges Dam and an expansion of navigation facilities at the Gezhouba Dam.
The project, which carries an estimated price tag of 77.2 billion yuan ($11.4 billion), is expected to feature the world’s largest inland ship lock and accommodate vessels of up to 10,000 tonnes.
Responding To Surging Cargo Demand
Cargo traffic through the Three Gorges section of the Yangtze has surged far beyond original expectations.
Infrastructure designed to handle 100 million tonnes of cargo annually reached that target nearly two decades ahead of schedule. In 2025, freight throughput at the Three Gorges Dam reached 173 million tonnes, significantly exceeding its planned capacity.
Chinese officials say the new project is necessary to ease congestion and support growing trade along one of the country’s most important economic corridors.
A Key Economic Artery
The Yangtze River Economic Belt spans 11 provinces and municipalities and accounts for more than 40 per cent of China’s population and economic output.
The new waterway is expected to improve freight movement, lower logistics costs and strengthen economic integration across central and western China.
Upon completion, the expanded lock systems at the Three Gorges and Gezhouba dams are expected to more than double current throughput capacity, allowing hundreds of millions of tonnes of cargo to move through the corridor each year.
Strategic Infrastructure Push
The project is one of the first major national infrastructure schemes launched under China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030).
Chinese authorities say construction will proceed without disrupting existing shipping operations, with the new and existing lock systems eventually operating together to maximise efficiency along the Yangtze’s “golden waterway”.
