China's National Marine Environment Forecasting Centre has issued its highest red alert as super Typhoon Meranti approaches the country's eastern coast.
The typhoon is causing waves over 12 metres while moving west from Taiwan towards the coast of China where it is expected to arrive on Thursday.
The waves are expected to reach the coast of the Chinese provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang in the east, and Canton in the south.
The typhoon will first make landfall in Fujian and Canton on Thursday and authorities have launched an emergency response program and ordered all ships to return to port and residents to remain indoors.
The authorities have also ordered embankments of dams to be reinforced to prevent overflows.
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Taiwan shut down two nuclear reactors in its third nuclear plant in Hengchun on Wednesday as a precaution due to the impact of Meranti, the worst typhoon to hit the island in 21 years.
