The eye of Khanun was over the seas west of the Philippine main Luzon Island as of 8 am Friday, about 1,050 km east of Hainan's Wanning City, packing winds of up to 20 meters per second, said the Hainan meteorological observatory.

Khanun is moving Northwest at a speed of 20 km per hour and is expected to land either on the eastern coastal areas of Hainan, or pass southern Hainan and land in northern Vietnam between late Sunday and early Monday.

Downpours and gales are forecast in southern China from Saturday to Monday.

The State Oceanic Administration issued a yellow alert for ocean waves at 8 am Friday, saying that waves of up to six meters are expected in the North and mid-east region of South China Sea Saturday morning.