Tropical storm Wipha threatens southern China after battering Taiwan and the Philippines
The storm earlier crossed the Philippines, where a parked truck was crushed by a billboard-like structure that was toppled by high winds in Quezon City, north of Manila.
Wipha had maximum sustained winds of 101 kph (63 mph) and gusts up to 126 kph (78 mph) as it passed south of Taiwan on Saturday, the island's Central News Agency said.
More than 20 centimeters (8 inches) of rain was recorded in Hualien and Taitung counties on Taiwan's east coast, the news agency said. Several domestic flights were canceled and service on 14 ferry routes was suspended because of rough seas and strong winds.
On the other side of the Taiwan Strait, many ferries suspended service in Fujian province on China's east coast.
The storm, the sixth of the season in the western Pacific, is forecast to reach typhoon strength before passing near Hong Kong overnight. It is expected to bring heavy rain along China's southern coast and then weaken as it heads west to Vietnam and Laos.
In Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific said that all flights arriving or departing between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday would be canceled or delayed. The airline is waiving ticket change fees, it said.
The Hong Kong Observatory warned of gale-force or higher winds and possible flooding in low-lying coastal areas because of storm surges. A 30-kilometer (18-mile) bridge that crosses the water between Hong Kong and Macao will be closed overnight, Hong Kong broadcaster RTHK reported.
Authorities in Hainan province, a Chinese island that is a popular beach resort, said that three ports would suspend operations starting Saturday night in Haikou, the provincial capital.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Bloomberg
Typhoon May Strengthen on Track Toward Northern Philippines
A typhoon moving toward northern Philippines may intensify further before making landfall as early as tonight, with heavy rain and strong winds likely to impact some rice and corn crops. Typhoon Co-may — known locally as Emong — has slowed and is sitting to the west of Dagupan, a small city about three hours drive northwest of the capital Manila, according to an advisory from the national weather agency. The storm was packing top sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour.
CNN
a day ago
- CNN
Indian and Chinese travelers hail end of visa freeze between world's two most populous nations as diplomatic tensions thaw
They are the two most populous countries in the world and neighbors clamoring for more tourists, but for much of the last five years it has been difficult for Indian and Chinese nationals to vacation in each other's nations. Now that looks set to finally change as previous fractious relations between the two Asian giants finally begin to thaw. India will issue tourist visas for Chinese citizens for the first time in five years, allowing nationals from its neighboring country to freely visit each other, marking a significant reset in relations after a deadly border clash sent ties into a deep freeze. From Thursday, July 24, Chinese citizens can apply for tourist visas to India, the Indian embassy in Beijing said Wednesday. This 'positive news' is in the 'common interests of all parties,' China's foreign spokesperson Guo Jiakun said. 'China is willing to maintain communication and consultation with India to continuously improve the level of facilitation of personnel exchanges between the two countries.' There has been a gradual normalization of ties between India and China in recent months after relations were deeply strained in June 2020, when a brutal hand-to-hand battle in the Galwan Valley left at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead. Both nations maintain a heavy military presence along their 2,100-mile (3,379-kilometer) de facto border, known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC) – a boundary that remains undefined and has been a persistent source of friction since their bloody 1962 war. The 2020 clash in the disputed region between Indian Ladakh and Chinese-controlled Aksai Chin marked the first deadly confrontation along India and China's disputed border in more than 40 years. Tensions escalated in the aftermath. India banned multiple Chinese apps, heightened scrutiny of Chinese investments and direct air routes between the two neighbors were canceled. Both countries had shut their borders to foreign tourists due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but visa restrictions continued even as global travel began to resume. China lifted tourist visa restrictions for Indian nationals in March after Beijing and New Delhi announced they would work to resume direct air travel, according to Reuters. Now India's reciprocal move is seen as a welcome move by many. 'Inbound tourism is going through tough period post Covid, so it is good for us that another market has opened,' according to Sarvjeet Sankrit, founder of the Delhi-based travel agency Ghum India Ghum (Roam India Roam), who said he saw 'lots of Chinese tourists' visit the capital before the visa ban. India lifting restrictions is 'a good thing for vehicle owners, guides, and hotel owners,' he said. 'Everyone will get more business.' Chinese national Kate Hu, whose boyfriend is from India, said she is excited at the prospect of finally being able to visit his family. The Hong Kong-based comedian had already booked tickets to visit India for his sister's wedding in April when she found out she couldn't get the visa. 'I lost a bit of money there,' Hu said. 'We had talked about getting married just to have the visa, so now I'm happy to hear I won't have to get married just for a visa,' she joked. Her boyfriend is currently in India to take care of his sick mother. 'If this (news) had come out sooner, then I could have gone with him,' she said. Pradeep K, a consultant in Delhi called India's latest move is 'a good thing,' adding 'people of India and China will get to interact more.' He said he is excited at the prospect of traveling to China to see pandas. 'Will a diplomatic move on paper change mindsets and bring people closer? Your guess is as good as mine.' India's decision to remove visa restrictions is the latest in a string of steps taken by New Delhi and Beijing to reset ties after Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia last October. In January, India and China agreed to resume direct commercial flights and Beijing recently agreed to reopen Mount Kailash and Lash Manasarovar in western Tibet to Indian pilgrims for the first time in five years. Earlier this month, India's foreign minister S. Jaishankar met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing, where the two 'took note of the recent progress made by the two sides to stabilize and rebuild ties, with priority on people-centric engagements,' according to a statement from the Indian foreign ministry. There has been a 'gradual normalization of the India-China relationship,' said Harsh V. Pant, foreign policy head at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation think tank. 'There is a certain recalibration happening from both ends. But this is also a reflection that India faces a unique challenge in managing China,' he added. Despite the ongoing tensions, India is still economically dependent on China and sees 'a possibility of building an economic partnership' while making its red lines clear, Pant said. Delhi-based teacher Saurabhi Singh said while India and China have fought wars in the past, 'relations can and should change.' She added: 'We have labor, markets, manufacturing abilities and a fondness for food, tea, electronics that connect people of both countries.'
CNN
a day ago
- CNN
Indian and Chinese travelers hail end of visa freeze between world's two most populous nations as diplomatic tensions thaw
They are the two most populous countries in the world and neighbors clamoring for more tourists, but for much of the last five years it has been difficult for Indian and Chinese nationals to vacation in each other's nations. Now that looks set to finally change as previous fractious relations between the two Asian giants finally begin to thaw. India will issue tourist visas for Chinese citizens for the first time in five years, allowing nationals from its neighboring country to freely visit each other, marking a significant reset in relations after a deadly border clash sent ties into a deep freeze. From Thursday, July 24, Chinese citizens can apply for tourist visas to India, the Indian embassy in Beijing said Wednesday. This 'positive news' is in the 'common interests of all parties,' China's foreign spokesperson Guo Jiakun said. 'China is willing to maintain communication and consultation with India to continuously improve the level of facilitation of personnel exchanges between the two countries.' There has been a gradual normalization of ties between India and China in recent months after relations were deeply strained in June 2020, when a brutal hand-to-hand battle in the Galwan Valley left at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead. Both nations maintain a heavy military presence along their 2,100-mile (3,379-kilometer) de facto border, known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC) – a boundary that remains undefined and has been a persistent source of friction since their bloody 1962 war. The 2020 clash in the disputed region between Indian Ladakh and Chinese-controlled Aksai Chin marked the first deadly confrontation along India and China's disputed border in more than 40 years. Tensions escalated in the aftermath. India banned multiple Chinese apps, heightened scrutiny of Chinese investments and direct air routes between the two neighbors were canceled. Both countries had shut their borders to foreign tourists due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but visa restrictions continued even as global travel began to resume. China lifted tourist visa restrictions for Indian nationals in March after Beijing and New Delhi announced they would work to resume direct air travel, according to Reuters. Now India's reciprocal move is seen as a welcome move by many. 'Inbound tourism is going through tough period post Covid, so it is good for us that another market has opened,' according to Sarvjeet Sankrit, founder of the Delhi-based travel agency Ghum India Ghum (Roam India Roam), who said he saw 'lots of Chinese tourists' visit the capital before the visa ban. India lifting restrictions is 'a good thing for vehicle owners, guides, and hotel owners,' he said. 'Everyone will get more business.' Chinese national Kate Hu, whose boyfriend is from India, said she is excited at the prospect of finally being able to visit his family. The Hong Kong-based comedian had already booked tickets to visit India for his sister's wedding in April when she found out she couldn't get the visa. 'I lost a bit of money there,' Hu said. 'We had talked about getting married just to have the visa, so now I'm happy to hear I won't have to get married just for a visa,' she joked. Her boyfriend is currently in India to take care of his sick mother. 'If this (news) had come out sooner, then I could have gone with him,' she said. Pradeep K, a consultant in Delhi called India's latest move is 'a good thing,' adding 'people of India and China will get to interact more.' He said he is excited at the prospect of traveling to China to see pandas. 'Will a diplomatic move on paper change mindsets and bring people closer? Your guess is as good as mine.' India's decision to remove visa restrictions is the latest in a string of steps taken by New Delhi and Beijing to reset ties after Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia last October. In January, India and China agreed to resume direct commercial flights and Beijing recently agreed to reopen Mount Kailash and Lash Manasarovar in western Tibet to Indian pilgrims for the first time in five years. Earlier this month, India's foreign minister S. Jaishankar met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing, where the two 'took note of the recent progress made by the two sides to stabilize and rebuild ties, with priority on people-centric engagements,' according to a statement from the Indian foreign ministry. There has been a 'gradual normalization of the India-China relationship,' said Harsh V. Pant, foreign policy head at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation think tank. 'There is a certain recalibration happening from both ends. But this is also a reflection that India faces a unique challenge in managing China,' he added. Despite the ongoing tensions, India is still economically dependent on China and sees 'a possibility of building an economic partnership' while making its red lines clear, Pant said. Delhi-based teacher Saurabhi Singh said while India and China have fought wars in the past, 'relations can and should change.' She added: 'We have labor, markets, manufacturing abilities and a fondness for food, tea, electronics that connect people of both countries.'
