Super Typhoon ‘Yagi’ is causing significant disruption in southern China with showers and heavy rains, and is also threatening the region’s economic centres. The world’s longest sea bridge, which connects Hong Kong to Macau and Zhuhai in Guangdong, has already been forced to close.
With winds of up to 245 kilometers per hour, one of the strongest storms of the year is approaching the coasts of Hainan and Guangdong provinces. The first effects of the typhoon on the economy are already being felt: the stock exchange in Hong Kong remained closed on Friday and airports across the region stopped their operations.
Yagi, which has more than doubled in strength since it wreaked havoc in the northern Philippines earlier this week, is expected to make landfall along the Chinese coast from Wenchang in Hainan to Leizhou in Guangdong starting Friday afternoon.
Third highest typhoon level in effect
The Chinese government has sent emergency troops to provinces to coordinate preventive measures against flooding and storm damage, state news agency Xinhua reports. The third-highest typhoon level 8 remains in effect for now, meaning many businesses remain closed and transportation is severely restricted.
The impending landfall of Super Typhoon Yagi in Hainan is rare, as most typhoons hitting the duty-free island are classified as weak.
From 1949 to 2023, 106 typhoons were recorded in Hainan, but only nine were classified as super typhoons. Hainan Province plays a central role in China’s economy as a major free trade zone and a major tourist destination.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
