BEIJING, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- China's meteorological authority said Saturday that the country's southeast coastal regions will brace for strong winds over the next 24 hours as the super typhoon Sanba is approaching.

Sanba, positioned at waters 550 km southeast of Diaoyu Islands at 5 p.m., will move northwestward at a speed of 20-25 km per hour, according to a statement posted on the website of the National Meteorological Center.

Sanba, the 16th typhoon of the year, will maintain or slightly weaken its strength before entering waters of the southeastern parts of the East China Sea on Sunday morning.

The center forecast that strong winds will sweep through most parts of the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, waters east of Taiwan, the estuary of the Yangtze River, the Hangzhou Bay, the southern part of the Yellow Sea and coastal areas in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces over the next 24 hours.

The nation's flood control authority on Friday urged residents in the coastal regions to be well-prepared for possible typhoon effects and take precautions against wind, moisture and strong rainfall. Enditem