SHANGHAI – China warned on Saturday of big waves, heavy rain and strong wind as Typhoon Koinu approaches the southern province of Guangdong and Hainan island.

Waves of up to nine metres were expected in the South China Sea under the impact of the storm on Saturday and Sunday, the State Oceanic Administration said as it issued an orange alert, the second highest in a four-coloured warning system.

Koinu, which means "puppy" in Japanese, is heading west along China's southern coast at a speed of 5-10kmh, the National Meteorological Centre.

It is expected to weaken into a strong tropical storm from late on Monday.

Koinu had killed one person and injured almost 400 people in Taiwan, causing some of the most extensive damage on remote Orchid Island off the island's east coast. REUTERS