Various areas in northern China were struck by strong winds, dust storms, and snow on Friday, as a cold front swept through the region, causing disruptions and sharply reduced visibility.
Bayannur City in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region experienced powerful winds and dust storms, with some traffic guardrails knocked over by the strong gales.
Meanwhile, sandstorms also struck cities in north China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, including Yinchuan and Shizuishan, as well as Wuwei in northwest China's Gansu Province. In Wuwei, visibility on the roads plummeted to under 50 meters.
In the southern part of northwest China's Qinghai Province, snow began falling late Thursday night. By 18:00 on Friday, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture recorded the heaviest precipitation, with 20.7 mm of rainfall.
Meteorological authorities forecast that strong winds with speeds up to 20-30 meters per second will persist across northwestern and northern China for the next three days, with gusts of 37 to 41.4 meters per second in areas such as Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei.
Strong winds, dust storms, snow battering northern China
China's coast guard authorities on Tuesday said one of its ships patrolling waters near Huangyan Dao in the South China Sea had been harassed by a Philippine vessel which had attempted to smear the Chinese side by taking staged photos.
The incident took place on Monday morning, when the Philippine coast guard ship 4409 dangerously approached the Chinese vessel Zhongnan in waters near Huangyan Dao, crossing close to the bow of the Chinese vessel four times, according to the China Coast Guard (CCG).
After repeated warnings and regulatory measures taken by the CCG, the Philippine vessel was eventually repelled from the area, the authorities said, adding that the Philippine side later attempted to disregard the facts and distort the truth by using media platforms to hype up the incident.
The actions of the Philippine side seriously violated relevant provisions of international law and maritime collision prevention regulations, the CCG said. By illegally and dangerously approaching the Chinese vessel, which was on a lawful mission, the Philippine ship threatened the safety of the Chinese personnel and ship, it noted.
The CCG responded professionally and in a lawful manner, the authorities stressed. In addition, the CCG vowed to resolutely counter any provocation by Philippine vessels in order to safeguard China's sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.
Philippine vessel stages provocative actions near Huangyan Dao: Chinese coast guard
