Heavy rains lashed large parts of southern China on Thursday, after Typhoon Podul made its second landfall along the coast of Zhangpu County in the eastern Fujian Province.
Podul had weakened to a severe tropical storm as it came ashore in Zhangpu in the early hours of Thursday morning, having earlier made its first landfall in Taiwan Province.
Torrential rains battered Huizhou City, in south China's Guangdong Province, forcing the closure of several beaches, the suspension of 22 train services and the cancellation of six flights.
Huizhou experienced widespread heavy rainfall on Wednesday and Thursday, and meteorological authorities issued red alerts for heavy rain in several subdistricts and towns.
Daling Subdistrict in Huizhou's Huidong County recorded a peak hourly rainfall of 91.2 mm between 08:00 and 09:00 on Thursday.
In Pingshan Subdistrict, the downpour lasted for nearly two hours, causing severe flooding in several neighborhoods, with police officers using rubber boats to evacuate trapped residents.
At 12:00 on Thursday, the meteorological department in the Shenzhen-Shantou special cooperation zone in Guangdong reported that the typhoon had dumped torrential rain in the region, with some areas receiving up to 160 mm over the past 24 hours.
The heavy rainfall also caused a landslide at Mazijiao in Chishi Subdistrict, where rescue teams set up cordons and guardrails to redirect vehicles. No casualties were reported in the landslide.
The landslide has been cleared, the hillside has been reinforced, and personnel are still on site monitoring the situation.
Podul passed through central China's Hunan Province around midday on Thursday, with Yongzhou City and other areas in Hunan experiencing short bursts of heavy rainfall, with some areas being deluged with over 100 mm of rain during the storm.
Localities had organized personnel to conduct safety risk inspections in advance and relocate people from disaster-prone areas.
Jiangdong Yao Ethnic Township in the southern part of Lanshan County, Yongzhou, is nestled between mountains and rivers, and is prone to geological disasters including landslides and flash flooding.
Local officials had been preparing for the storm since Wednesday, checking on vulnerable areas, such as houses on slopes, low-lying areas, and old buildings.
Local authorities in Jiangdong Yao Ethnic Township and Tushi Town in Lanshan relocated 232 people from 132 households.
Flooding in the area blocked several roads in the region, with emergency workers deployed to get traffic moving safely again.
Typhoon Podul brings heavy downpours across China
Geoeconomic confrontation is the leading short-term global threat in 2026, the World Economic Forum (WEF) warned in its Global Risks Report 2026 released on Wednesday ahead of its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
The report ranks geoeconomic confrontation as the top risk for 2026, followed by interstate conflict, extreme weather, societal polarization, and misinformation and disinformation. It also identifies geoeconomic confrontation as the most severe risk over the next two years.
"I think if there is to be one key takeaway from the report, it's that we are entering an age of competition and this new competitive order is then shaping current global risks, but it is also shaping and to some extent hindering our ability to actually cope with them. That's really the key takeaway. If we take a look at, the number one risk both for 2026 and two years out, it's dual economic confrontation. But then if we look at the risks 10 years out. It's really the climate and environment related risks. All of these things require global cooperation and that's where we're seeing a big backsliding in this new age of competition," said Saadia Zahidi, managing director of the WEF.
Economic risks showed the largest increase in the two-year outlook, with concerns over economic downturns, inflation, rising debt and potential asset bubbles intensifying amid geoeconomic tensions, the report said.
Environmental risks remain the most severe overall, led by extreme weather, biodiversity loss and critical changes to Earth systems. The report noted that three-quarters of respondents expect a turbulent environmental outlook.
Risks related to adverse outcomes of artificial intelligence rose sharply, climbing from 30th in the two-year horizon to fifth in the 10-year outlook, reflecting concerns over impacts on labor markets, society and security.
The 21st edition of the report draws on views from more than 1,300 experts, policymakers and industry leaders.
The WEF's annual meeting will be held in Davos from Jan 19 to 23 and draw nearly 3,000 guests from more than 130 countries and regions to participate.
"So overall, we are starting to see this shift away from what have traditionally been the ways in which people have been able to cooperate. Now, that is not to say that any of this is a foregone conclusion. And I think that's a really important message around the risks report. None of this is set in stone. All of this is in the hands of leaders. Whether they choose to cooperate and invest in resilience or whether they do not. So that's really what we'll be focused on next week in Davos bringing leaders together under this overall theme of 'a spirit of dialogue' and trying to reestablish relationships, cooperation and trust. That's the fundamental," said Zahidi.
WEF warns of rising geoeconomic risks in 2026
