Sunday sees the Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day in China. China’s National Maritime Environmental Forecasting Center says 7 to 9 tropical cyclones may land in China this year. But it says while four or five of them could be classed as "disaster" strength, that is fewer than that landed last year.

Altogether it says up to 27 tropical cyclones may take place in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. Nearly a third of them are expected to land along the eastern and southern China coast.

It still warns that waves higher than 4 meters may hit about 40 times, around the same as past years. Tropical cyclones, typhoon storms and high waves can all damage property or cause casualties. The predictions came on the Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day, which was set in 2009, a year after the devastating earthquake hit Wenchuan on May the 12th, 2008.