Taiwan, Japan and China Batten Down for Mega Typhoon Bavi
Government officials and millions of people in Taiwan, Japan and southeastern China have begun preparing for the arrival of a giant typhoon described as one of the biggest in decades. Typhoon Bavi is said to. . .
Government officials and millions of people in Taiwan, Japan and southeastern China have begun preparing for the arrival of a giant typhoon described as one of the biggest in decades. Typhoon Bavi is said to have reached “gargatuan” size – over 1,000km wide, according to the US Joint Typhoon Warning Centre, and has already caused the cancellation of over 180 flights as it nears the three countries. Satellite imagery from China’s official weather forecaster shows Bavi covering nearly 940,000 sq km (363,000 square miles) – an area about nine times the size of the eastern province of Zhejiang, according to theSouth China Morning Post. ALSO SEE:China Ramps Moves on Taiwan, Trump Says Iran Ceasefire OverThe storm is expected to begin lashing Taiwan on Friday before crossing China’s eastern coast between Fujian and Zhejiang provinces on Saturday evening and early Sunday morning. The Taiwan Central Weather Administration has warned that Bavi could drop up to 1 metre of rain in the mountains north of Taipei, and said total regional accumulations could reach 40 inches near the storm centre, according to a report byReuters. It warned of “destructive” winds, while waves several metres high were being whipped up and started to hit the island’s north. “Relatively destructive” winds are likely to “cause damage” in Taiwan, including in the port city of Keelung and the coastal county of Yilan, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Jason Cheng told AFP. Locals in Taipei stacked sandbags at the entrances to businesses hit by recent floods, while fishermen tied down their boats, as authorities urged the public to take precautions. Afterhitting Guam and the Northern Marianas on Mondayas a super typhoon, Bavi was downgraded to a typhoon as it moved across the Pacific Ocean. It was packing maximum sustained wind speeds of 184 kilometres (114 miles) per hour and gusts of around 227 kilometres per hour on Thursday, the CWA said. With a strong-wind radius of 380 kilometres (240 miles), Bavi is the largest typhoon to hit Taiwan since 1995, when methods for measuring the size of storms changed, Cheng said. He said the greatest impact is expected in northern areas such as Yilan and Keelung, adding that “even areas away from the typhoon’s centre could be affected and should remain vigilant. ”Bavi is expected to dump heavy rain across northern and central Taiwan over the next three days, with up to a metre (three feet) of water falling in mountainous areas, CWA forecaster Lin Po-dong told a briefing. “The typhoon is expected to have its greatest impact from Friday night through Saturday daytime. ”Most ferry routes to outer islands have been suspended and many flights cancelled. Taiwan’s coast guard warned people to stay away from the shore, with four to six-metre (13 to 20-feet) waves already recorded in waters off southern Taitung county and Orchid Island. At a port in Keelung, fishing boat owner Tung Wan-tsai said he was “a bit worried” about the approaching typhoon. ‘These are the worst ones’“It’s too big,” Tung, 75, told AFP. “Even if it doesn’t make direct landfall, its radius of gale-force winds is simply too massive. Especially with this trajectory, it is bound to become a ‘northwest typhoon’, which is the worst-case scenario. ”Some 500 people have been evacuated from their homes, nearly all in the eastern county of Hualien, where authorities are monitoring two barrier lakes in the mountains. Work and classes have been cancelled on Friday in eight counties and cities across northern and eastern Taiwan, including Taipei, the government said. On Japan’s remote southwestern islands, schools and supermarkets will close on Friday. Pineapple farmers harvested their fruit early and fishermen secured their boats ahead of Bavi, Japanese media said. Dozens of flights have been cancelled. “Please remain on high alert for landslides, flooding in low-lying areas, and rising river levels and flooding,” the Ishigaki Island tourism bureau said in a statement. After sweeping past Taiwan, Bavi is expected to make landfall in eastern China over the weekend. Extreme weather has already wreaked havoc on southern and central China this week, with storms leaving at least 39 dead and causing dozens of rivers to overflow and a reservoir dam to burst. Oceans experienced their hottest June on record and could set fresh highs in the months ahead, the European Union’s Copernicus Marine Service said last week. Warmer oceans help tropical storms to intensify and add more moisture, which can fall as heavy rain. Adding to the mix is the return this year of El Nino, a natural climate phenomenon that warms Pacific surface temperatures and typically occurs every two to seven years. More US strikes in IranMeanwhile, oil prices fell on Thursday, clawing back some of the previous day’s surge, as investors assessed the outlook for Middle East peace talks after the US and Iran exchanged fresh strikes and Donald Trump said their ceasefire was over. Crude spiked on Wednesday when the US president – in response to tit-for-tat attacks in the region already taking place – said the fragile truce between the foes was over. Washington also revoked a temporary sanctions waiver for Iranian oil. Both main contracts shot up by around 8% on Wednesday, with Brent topping $80 a barrel for the first time in two weeks, fanning fresh fears of a spike in inflation and a hit to the economy. Trump ordered new strikes and warned of “much worse” if Tehran continues to attack vessels in the strait, through which a fifth of world oil usually passes. “This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran,” he said in a post on Truth Social. However, the US president said earlier that he expected the latest military flare-up to end quickly and left the door open to more talks. He also claimed Tehran had “called a little while ago” and that the Iranians wanted “to make a deal so badly”. “Trump’s remarks set sparks flying – the comments underscored fears that we could see further escalation and a return to pre-MOU conditions,” Neil Wilson at Saxo Markets said, referring to the memorandum of understanding that paved the way for peace talks. However, he added: “For what it’s worth, I don’t think this is the base case as A) Trump is wont to throw around threats and B) both sides need to return to a kind of hazy pre-war ‘normality’. “But it clearly seems the risk of a total breakdown in negotiations has increased and markets are reflecting this fresh dynamic. ”While the US and Iran continued to target each other’s positions in the region, traders took stock of the flare-up and began selling crude, pushing both main contracts down more than 1% in late Asian trade. They had been up more than 1% in the morning. Asian markets mixedStock markets were mixed, though sentiment remained subdued as the latest geopolitical tensions comes after an extended period of selling in the tech sector fuelled by worries over extended valuations and when AI investments will see returns. Seoul, which has key stocks that have seen repeated spikes and plunges this year because of Asia’s AI-led tech boom – briefly added nearly 2% before paring back, but it remains susceptible to another selloff. The Kospi has tanked more than 20% from its record high touched on June 19. Tokyo added more than 1%, while Shanghai, Singapore, Wellington, Mumbai, Bangkok and Jakarta also advanced, with Paris and Frankfurt. There were losses in Hong Kong, Sydney, Taipei, Manila and London. Later on Thursday attention will focus on South Korean chip titan SK Hynix, whose US listing was more than seven times oversubscribed ahead of its planned debut on Friday. The firm is expected to announce the pricing for its American Depository Receipts and observers suggest it could raise as much as $28 billion from the sale. The firm’s Seoul-listed shares were up almost 7% on Thursday, though since hitting its record high last month it has lost more than 30% as it was at the forefront of the latest tech rout. Key figures around 1340 GMTBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0. 1% at $77. 98 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0. 5% at $73. 16 a barrel. Seoul – Kospi: UP 0. 6% at 7,291. 91 (close). Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1. 4% at 67,743. 85 (close). Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0. 7% at 24,030. 18 (close). Shanghai – Composite: UP 1. 7% at 4,036. 59 (close). London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0. 5% at 10,436. 29. Paris – CAC 40: UP 0. 5% at 8,298. 40. Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0. 4% at 24,999. 97. New York – Dow: UP less than 0. 1% at 52,364. 18 (close)New York – S&P 500: UP 0. 4% at 7,509. 48. New York: Nasdaq Composite: UP 0. 6% at 26,020. 52. Dollar/yen: DOWN at 162. 32 yen from 162. 54 on Wednesday. Jim Pollard with Agence France-PresseALSO SEE:Chinese Missile Seen as Challenge to Pacific ‘Zone of Peace’China Puts ‘National Security’ Rules on Overseas InvestmentsTech Rules Needed So World Doesn’t Lose Control of AI: ChinaYen Sinks to 40-Year Low Amid Deepening Row With ChinaKospi, Nikkei, Hang Seng Sink as Tech Doubts Rock Asia AgainVast Amount of Rare Metals Found Off Remote Japanese IsleChina Curbs Rare Earth Exports to Defence Firms, ChipmakersJim PollardJim Pollard is an Australian journalist based in Thailand since 1999. He worked for News Ltd papers in Sydney, Perth, London and Melbourne before travelling through SE Asia in the late 90s. He was a senior editor at The Nation for 17+ years. You Might also Like