Global Courant
TAIPEI — Taiwan on Tuesday canceled parts of its annual military exercises as authorities ramp up preparations for what they say could become the most damaging typhoon to hit the island in nearly four years.
Typhoons are common near Taiwan at this time of year, but the subtropical island has not been directly hit by a typhoon since 2019, leading officials to urge vigilance.
Typhoon Doksuri, ranked as a category four super typhoon on a scale of 1 to 5 by Tropical Storm Risk, is expected to enter the Bashi Channel that separates Taiwan and the Philippines in a west-northwest direction and approach the waters off the island’s southern coast before making landfall in southern China, weather officials said.
Taiwan’s defense ministry canceled parts of its main annual Han Kuang exercises scheduled for Tuesday, citing safety concerns and the need to prepare for the coming storm.
Taiwan’s weather bureau has issued sea warnings and said it will issue land warnings for southern provinces later on Tuesday, urging residents there to prepare for heavy rains and strong winds.
“Taiwan has not seen a single typhoon make landfall in more than 1,400 days, so I urge all ministries to gear up and prepare,” Prime Minister Chen Chien-jen said in a Facebook post.
“I want to remind citizens not to underestimate typhoon threats.”
It was not immediately clear how the typhoon could further affect the five-day military exercise that will take place this week across the island.
In the southern port city of Kaohsiung, authorities rushed to collect hundreds of containers floating at sea after the Palau-bound container ship Angel sank off Taiwan’s southwest coast last week. REUTERS
Taiwan cancels military exercises as typhoon approaches
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