Over 100,000 residents in the Bicol Region of Philippines have been relocated due to the approaching Typhoon Fung-wong.
The tropical storm Fung-wong has intensified into a super typhoon and is expected to make landfall as early as Sunday, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration on Sunday.
Typhoon Fung-wong is expected to make landfall in Aurora Province, northeast of Luzon Island of the Philippines, on Sunday evening or early Monday morning. The typhoon is reported to reach peak intensity upon landfall. Coastal areas affected would see waves of up to 14 meters high, along with storm surges exceeding three meters.
Parts of Luzon Island have raised the highest level 5 typhoon warning. Aurora Province and the Greater Manila Area have raised a level 3 warning. The warning system is used in the Philippines to indicate typhoon alert levels, with level 1 being the lowest and level 5 being the highest.
As of 07:00 on Sunday, the center of Typhoon Fung-wong was located 125 kilometers northeast of Catanduanes Province, the Philippines. The maximum sustained wind speed near its center was 185 kilometers per hour, and the instantaneous wind speed was 230 kilometers per hour. It was moving northwest at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour.
The typhoon will affect 54 provinces in the Philippines, and 5.7 million people are threatened by the typhoon, according to the country's national disaster risk reduction and management council.
Philippines relocates residents as Typhoon Fung-wong approaches
Philippines relocates residents as Typhoon Fung-wong approaches
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' separatist moves to stoke cross-Strait hostility are unpopular and doomed to fail, said Zhang Han, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing on Wednesday.
Zhang made the comments at a regular press conference in response to a media query about recent inappropriate remarks by Chiu Chui-cheng, head of the so-called "mainland affairs council", regarding the Chinese mainland's policy of advancing high-quality cross-Strait integrated development".
"Our fellow Taiwan compatriots are our kith and kin. Over the years, acting on the principle that 'people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are all of the same family', we have actively promoted cross-Strait economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation, deepened the integrated development across various fields, and made steady progress in implementing policies that provide equal treatment to Taiwan compatriots. These efforts have continuously yielded new results, fully demonstrating our goodwill in seeking benefits for Taiwan compatriots and our sincerity in advancing the peaceful and integrated development of cross-Strait relations. Such endeavors have been met with strong support and wide acclaim from our Taiwan compatriots. Driven by its separatist pursuit of 'Taiwan secession', the DPP authorities are deeply fearful of closer ties between people across the Strait. They have deliberately fanned the flames of confrontation and antagonism, while resorting to slander and obstruction against anything that helps develop cross-Strait relations and benefits people on both sides. Such moves are deeply unpopular and are bound to fail," she said.
DPP's moves to stoke cross-Strait hostility unpopular, doomed to fail: spokeswoman
