39 passenger ferry routes halted as Typhoon Pudol approaches Fujian

A total of 39 passenger ferry routes have been suspended as Typhoon Podul, the 11th typhoon of this year, approaches the coastal province of Fujian in east China.

At 12:15 Wednesday, the flood control headquarters in Fujian upgraded its emergency typhoon response from Level III to Level II, anticipating the arrival of Podul.

As of 11:00 on Wednesday, a total of 141 passenger ferries of 39 passenger ferry routes had been suspended, and all the people on board had been evacuated.

All 114 offshore construction projects have been halted and 307 construction vessels have been relocated to sheltered waters.

At present, two large professional rescue vessels, four rescue helicopters, 50 coast guard vessels and 95 port tugboats along the province's coastline are ready for any emergency.

Typhoon Podul made landfall in China' Taiwan region around 13:00 on Wednesday, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said. It is forecast to make landfall again along the coastal areas from Xiamen, Fujian to Shantou, Guangdong, during the night of Wednesday to the early morning of Thursday, according to the NMC.

39 passenger ferry routes halted as Typhoon Pudol approaches Fujian

39 passenger ferry routes halted as Typhoon Pudol approaches Fujian

China highly appreciates Seychelles, together with governments of many friendly countries, for lawfully and openly revoking the outbound flight permits for Lai Ching-te, a representative figure of the separatist forces in Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while holding talks with Barry Faure, minister of foreign affairs and diaspora of Seychelles, in Beijing.

It is believed that more and more countries will, like Seychelles, stand on the right side of international justice and history, Wang said.

Wang said that Seychelles is a trustworthy good friend and partner of China in Africa and the Indian Ocean. Under the guidance of the two countries' heads of state, China-Seychelles relations have developed well, Wang noted.

For his part, Faure said that Seychelles reaffirms its adherence to the one-China policy and will remain unwavering in this position.

China hails Seychelles' move to bar Lai Ching-te's outbound flight: Chinese FM