Typhoon Dolphin strikes Japan, prompting diplomatic clash between China and Taiwan over strait traffic controls

Typhoon Dolphin struck southern Japan on August 8, 2026, injuring six people and cutting power to 50,000 buildings before tracking toward eastern China. The storm triggered a diplomatic clash as Beijing ordered ships transiting the Taiwan Strait to obey its traffic controls. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council rejected the directive as "utterly ridiculous," asserting China has no authority over international waters, while Taiwan's Coast Guard advised vessels to ignore Chinese broadcasts.

Typhoon Dolphin impact in Japan

• ▪Domestic airlines ANA and Japan Airlines cancelled flights to and from Okinawa, while Naha Airport closed its operations due to Typhoon Dolphin.
• ▪Typhoon Dolphin struck Japan's southern Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures on August 8, 2026, injuring six people and cutting power to over 50,000 buildings.
• ▪Typhoon Dolphin brought maximum sustained winds of 162 kph (100 mph) and gusts reaching 216 kph (134 mph) as it passed near Japan's southern islands.

China typhoon preparations

• ▪Chinese authorities designated Typhoon Dolphin as an orange-category storm and raised the emergency response level to III ahead of its expected landfall between Zhejiang and Fujian provinces.
• ▪Zhejiang province halted port operations, suspended 162 passenger ferry routes, and ordered Ningbo Lishe International Airport to suspend all flights on August 9, 2026.
• ▪Forecasters projected that eastern China, including parts of Shanghai, could receive over 600 mm of rain through August 12, 2026, due to Typhoon Dolphin.

Taiwan Strait traffic control dispute

• ▪Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council denounced China's traffic control order as ridiculous, stating Beijing has no right to restrict access to international waters.
• ▪Taiwan's Coast Guard advised merchant and cargo vessels to disregard Chinese broadcast demands and report any interference, stating no abnormal Chinese vessel movements were detected.
• ▪China ordered all ships transiting north through the southern entrance of the Taiwan Strait to comply with maritime traffic control instructions starting August 6, 2026.

Cross-strait sovereignty tensions

• ▪China claims sovereignty over democratically governed Taiwan and the strategic Taiwan Strait, a stance rejected by both Taipei and Washington.
• ▪Taiwan's government continues to reject Beijing's sovereignty claims, maintaining that only the people of Taiwan can decide the island's future.

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