China issues typhoon blue alert as Talim nears

China's meteorological authorities on Wednesday issued a typhoon blue alert for China's southern regions as the tropical storm Talim nears.

Talim, the fifth tropical storm this year, is expected to move northeast at a speed of 25 km per hour and make landfall in Fujian

Province late Wednesday, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

It will bring strong winds and torrential rains to the provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and Hainan, as well as Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the center said.

The southeast regions of Zhejiang, northeast areas of Fujian and the western parts of Taiwan will receive downpours of 50 mm to 130 mm, the center said.

The NMC has ordered local authorities to closely monitor the tropical storm and brace for possible consequences, such as geological disasters, while fishing vessels have been directed to take shelter in ports.

China's National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs issued a national early disaster warning on Monday afternoon to advise local governments in the areas likely to be affected to prepare for the approaching storm.