The eye of typhoon Aere will move northwestward at a speed of about 20 kilometers after sweeping past a sea area off Taipei City of Taiwan Province and will affect the Chinese mainland by landing at the east China coast around Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

In line with an emergent forecast issued by the Central Meteorological Observatory of China early Tuesday, the eye of typhoon Aere moved to the sea waters approximately 220 km east to Taipei at 5 AM on Tuesday, and the location was at 25 degrees north altitude and 123.8 degrees east longitude, causing a hurricane of 11-12 force in the affected sea waters.

There will be moderate to whole gale force wind in Bashi Channel, Balingtang Channel, sea waters east to the Taiwan Island, Taiwan Straits, East China Sea, Yangtze River Estuary, offshore areas of eastern and northern Taiwan, offshore areas of east China's Zhejiang and Fujian provinces from daytime Tuesday through Wednesday, and a storm and hurricane in sea waters and areas where the eye of typhoon Aere will pass by, noted the forecast.

And there will also be heavy to torrential rains in most of Taiwan, Fujian, Zhejiang and eastern Jiangxi provinces, acknowledged the forecast, and passing ships are urged to pay attention to navigation safety.

Air and sea traffic of Taiwan has been disrupted with the coming of Typhoon Aere Tuesday, according to sources reaching from Taipei.

Typhoon Aere is approaching Taiwan, bringing heavy rains to Taiwan Tuesday. Financial markets, public offices and schools were closed in most cities and counties in northern, central and northeastern parts of the island.

A plane carrying about 100 passengers and crew members skidded off a runway Tuesday morning when it landed at an airport in Taipei, leaving no injures.

The airport has canceled or postponed a number of international or domestic airlines.

Hong Kong radio stations reported Tuesday that the typhoon has left two people dead and three others missing.

According to the Taiwan local weather bureau, Aere is expected to brush through northern Taiwan in the following day.

"Aere" means a storm in the language spoken on the Marshall Islands.

(Xinhua News Agency August 24, 2004）