Typhoon muifa weakens as it moves along China's East Coast

Typhoon Muifa, the ninth typhoon to hit China this year, is weakening as it moves further north along the country''s affluent and densely-populated eastern coast, weather forecast authorities said Sunday. The typhoon, bringing gusts up to 178 km per hour, is moving at 25 km per hour toward the coast of Shandong Province where it is expected to make landfall Monday morning, the National Meteorological Center said in a bulletin. In Shandong, the local weather forecast bureau said the typhoon might further weaken into a tropical storm when it lands but the authorities still had ordered about 20,000 fishing boats to lay anchor in harbors. Maritime authorities on Sunday also requested vessels to either leave or stay clear from those parts of the coast most likely to be hit worst by the typhoon. Muifa, originally a powerful typhoon, swirled into the East China Sea on Friday morning, China''s News Agency (Xinhua) reported. High wave warnings were issued for coastal provinces.