China on Monday began construction of a mega waterway project, including what is expected to become the world's largest inland ship lock, in response to the rising shipping demand along the Yangtze, the world's third-longest river.

Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, kicked off the construction of the Three Gorges new waterway project at a commencement ceremony in Yichang, central China's Hubei Province.

The 77.2-billion-yuan (about 11.3 billion U.S. dollars) project will add a five-tier, dual-track ship lock north of the existing lock at the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest water conservancy project, and upgrade navigation facilities at a smaller downstream dam.

Once completed, it will almost double the annual throughput capacity at the Three Gorges to 336 million tonnes.

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.