China issues yellow alert as tropical storm nears

Chinese maritime authorities have issued a yellow warning for waves brought by tropical storm Kong-rey, according to the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center on Wednesday.

Kong-rey, the 15th tropical storm to hit China this year, is expected to enter the southern part of the East China Sea, passing through waters northeast of Taiwan, from Wednesday night to Thursday morning, the center said.

Waves measuring four to 6.5 meters are expected to appear in the southern part of the East China Sea and the adjacent waters off the Diaoyu Islands from Wednesday noon to Thursday noon, the center said.

Waves as high as 2.5 to 3.5 meters will also appear in the northern part of the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, according to the center.

The center said that waves of two to 3.5 meters are expected in the waters off the coastal areas of east China's Zhejiang and Fujian provinces.

The center warned ships in affected areas and urged local authorities to take precautions to avoid the waves.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow and blue.