Typhoon Matmo, the 21st named storm of the 2025 Pacific typhoon season, is bringing heavy rains to northern Vietnam on Monday.
Matmo landed in Fangchenggang City of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region at 01:10 local time on Monday. After its landfall in Guangxi, Typhoon Matmo is forecast to continue its westward trajectory and enter northern Vietnam.
Fangchenggang City is only 50 kilometers from Mong Cai City of Vietnam's Quang Ninh Province. With the typhoon moving west-northwest at a speed of 15-20 kilometers per hour, it was anticipated to reach Mong Cai shortly.
Typhoon Matmo is projected to cause substantial precipitation across several northern Vietnamese provinces, including Quang Ninh. According to the Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration, many areas could have rainfall exceeding 200 millimeters, with some regions potentially receiving over 400 millimeters.
This comes at a critical time for northern Vietnam, as the region is still recovering from floods and waterlogging caused by the previous Typhoon Bualoi. The additional heavy rainfall from Typhoon Matmo is expected to intensify flood control and drainage pressures considerably.
In response, the Vietnamese government has activated its emergency response mechanisms to proactively address potential disasters such as floods, mudslides, and landslides that could result from the heavy rainfall.
Typhoon Matmo brings heavy rains to northern Vietnam
Commerce Ministry spokesman He Yadong on Thursday urged the European Union (EU) to join hands with China in promoting the sound development of bilateral economic and trade ties.
Commenting on a possible trade agreement between the two sides following German delegations' recent visits to China at a press briefing in Beijing, He said China has always held an opening attitude toward trade ties with the EU.
"China and the EU are important economic and trade partners. Over the years, their cooperation has been built on a solid foundation, with strong growth momentum and deeply interwoven supply and industrial chains, forming a pattern of complementary strengths and mutual benefit. China has always maintained an open attitude toward bilateral trade arrangements with the EU and welcomes relevant proposals from European leaders," the spokesman said.
He underscored China's openness to deeper cooperation, but also cautioned that recent EU practices have posed challenges for Chinese enterprises.
"However, the EU has employed various trade tools including investigation to restrict Chinese enterprises over the recent years. We hope the EU will listen more to the voices of its member states and industries, abandon protectionist practices, and work with China in the same direction, replacing barriers with openness and cooperation, resolving frictions through dialogue and consultation, and jointly promoting the sound development of China-EU economic and trade relations," He said.
Chinese ministry of commerce urges EU to work with China for sound trade growth
