Typhoon Champi roars towards Taiwan, Japan and China bringing heavy rain and wind

BREAKING: Super Typhoon Champi, now the strongest storm of 2026, barrels toward Taiwan, Japan and China with heavy rain and powerful winds.

Super Typhoon Champi is now the strongest storm anywhere on Earth this year.

It is tracking towards Taiwan, Japan and China, carrying heavy rain and destructive winds across one of the most densely populated regions in the world. Taiwan sits in the storm's path first, and you can see the capital Taipei here, a city of millions that has been battered by major typhoons before.

Japan's southern islands are also in the danger zone, with Okinawa often the first Japanese territory to feel a storm of this size. On the mainland, China's eastern coastal provinces are watching the track closely, home to some of the busiest ports on the planet.

Forecasters will refine the path over the coming hours. What is already clear is this. The strongest storm of 2026 is heading for three countries at once, and tens of millions of people are in its way.

This is Liu Yang, reporting for HIT.