Typhoon Xangsane, the 16th typhoon to affect China this year, looks set to bring high winds and heavy rains to the southern Hainan Province in the next three days, meteorologists said Friday.

The meteorological station of the island province said Friday the typhoon was moving northwestward at 20 km per hour and its outer rim had affected parts of the South China Sea.

The typhoon was expected to sweep through the sea area 200 km south of Hainan in the next two days before landing in Viet Nam on Monday. Its landing site is about 400 km away from Hainan.

The typhoon was bringing winds blowing up to 150 k.m. per hour.

The station predicted the typhoon would bring strong winds and heavy rains to Hainan from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, affecting traffic and tourism in the week-long National Day holiday.

It also warned visitors to Hainan to pay attention to weather forecasts during the period.

Xangsane, Laotian for "elephant", formed in the northwest Pacific, ploughed into the Philippines on Wednesday night, killing at least 11 people and leaving dozens missing as it ripped down power lines and cut off electricity to tens of millions of people.

(Xinhua News Agency September 30, 2006)