BEIJING - China initiated emergency response measures on Sunday as Hagibis, the first typhoon this year, is expected to make landfall on the country's east coast on Sunday.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters asked local authorities in Fujian, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Hainan provinces to reinforce their monitoring efforts, and call back ships and offshore workers to minimize losses.

The country's meteorological authorities forecast the tropical storm will arrive in southeast China's Guangdong and Fujian provinces between Sunday afternoon and evening.

Torrential rain and storms will hit the regions in the next three days, with precipitation up to 170 mm.