South China coastal provinces brace for Typhoon Kajiki

South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Hainan Province have been placed on alert as Typhoon Kajiki, the 13th typhoon of the year, is forecast to bring strong winds and heavy rainfall.

The Guangxi Maritime Safety Administration activated a Level-IV emergency response to the typhoon on Saturday, with maritime authorities in the cities of Beihai, Qinzhou and Fangchenggang dispatching additional patrol vessels to ensure that vessels operating at sea promptly return to port for shelter.

China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the most critical.

On the same day, China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters initiated a Level-IV emergency response for flood control and typhoon prevention in Hainan. A working group was also dispatched to the province to assist with flood prevention and disaster relief efforts.

Haikou, the provincial capital of Hainan, also issued a notice on Saturday, requiring three of its ports to cease operations starting 5 p.m. in anticipation of the upcoming typhoon.

Typhoon Kajiki developed from a tropical depression over the South China Sea on Saturday morning. At 8 a.m., its center was around 770 kilometers east of Hainan's Sanya City over the sea, with a maximum wind speed of 18 meters per second and a central pressure of 998 hectopascals.

The typhoon is forecast to continue moving in a west-northwest direction at about 25 kilometers per hour, with its intensity further strengthening. It is likely to make landfall or pass close to the southern coast of Hainan Island around Sunday evening, before heading toward the central and northern coastal regions of Vietnam.