A Powerful rainstorm and hailstorm lashed parts of south China's Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Sunday, damaging crops and triggering emergency responses.
In Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong, the heavy rain began around 14:00, with 30 to 50 millimeters of precipitation recorded within approximately one hour in Yuexiu and Tianhe districts.
Local meteorological authorities said the cumulative rainfall on Sunday reached 70 to 80 millimeters.
Prior to the downpour, multiple districts had issued alerts for rainstorms, strong wind, and hailstorms.
Meanwhile, Hezhou City in neighboring Guangxi also experienced extreme weather on Sunday, with local meteorological authorities issuing an orange hailstorm alert for Babu and Pinggui districts around noon time.
At around 13:00 on Sunday, a hailstorm hit several districts in Hezhou City, lasting about five minutes and causing damage to crops.
A hailstorm was also reported in Baise City of Guangxi, where crops were damaged.
In Lingyun County of Baise, the hailstorm was accompanied by powerful wind, with hailstones measuring up to 10 millimeters in diameter.
Following the disasters, emergency management, public security, meteorological, and firefighting departments across the affected regions immediately activated emergency responses and launched rescue operations.
China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
Powerful rainstorm, hailstorm lash Guangdong, Guangxi, triggering emergency responses
China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao outlined the key priorities of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting, which opened on Friday in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province.
In an interview with CGTN ahead of the two-day meeting, Wang said free trade, digital cooperation and green economy are high on the agenda of the meeting.
"The key areas include advancing regional economic integration and the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, supporting the World Trade Organization (WTO) in strengthening digital cooperation and developing green economy. At present, the international situation is marked by intertwined turbulence and chaos, with intensified geopolitical instability. The rise of unilateralism and protectionism poses serious challenges to the international economic and trade order, disrupting global and Asia-Pacific development. Against this backdrop, all parties have higher expectations for this trade ministers' meeting, hoping that it can build consensus and deliver outcomes," Wang said.
This year marks China's third time hosting the APEC meetings and the 35th anniversary of its membership.
By 2025, China had become the largest trading partner of 13 APEC economies. Trade between China and APEC economies reached 3.7 trillion U.S. dollars, accounting for 57.8 percent of China's total foreign trade.
China has signed 24 free trade agreements or economic and trade arrangements with 31 countries and regions, including 15 APEC economies. In recent years, China has also completed upgrades of free trade agreements with APEC economies such as Singapore and Peru.
The minister said that China has always been a firm supporter and an important contributor to APEC.
"We have actively shared our vast market and development opportunities with all parties. China's door to the world will only open wider and wider. Facing the common challenges, China will continue to fulfill its responsibilities as a major country, further deepen reform, expand high-standard opening-up, and continue to provide new opportunities for the Asia-Pacific region and the world with its new achievements in Chinese modernization," the minister said.
China's Commerce Minister outlines priorities for 32nd APEC trade ministers' meeting
