Taipei: As authorities ramp up preparations for what they say could be the most destructive typhoon to hit the island in nearly four years, Taiwan on Tuesday postponed portions of its annual military exercises.

At this time of year, typhoons frequently pass close to Taiwan, but since the subtropical island hasn't been directly hit by a typhoon since 2019, officials have urged vigilance.

Typhoon Doksuri, which Tropical Storm Risk has categorised as a category 4 super typhoon on a scale of 1 to 5, is predicted to move west-northwestward into the Bashi Channel that separates Taiwan from the Philippines and then approach waters off the island's southern coasts before making landfall in southern China. 

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Due to safety concerns and the need to prepare for the impending storm, Taiwan's defence ministry postponed some of the major annual Han Kuang exercises that were scheduled to take place on Tuesday.

In order to warn people about heavy rain and strong winds, Taiwan's weather bureau has issued sea warnings and has announced that it will issue land warnings for the country's southern counties later on Tuesday.

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In a Facebook post, Premier Chen Chien-jen stated, "Taiwan has not experienced a typhoon making landfall in more than 1,400 days, so I urge all government ministries to gear up and make preparations."

"I want to remind people not to underestimate the threat of typhoons."

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After the Palau-flagged container ship Angel sank off Taiwan's southwest coast last week, authorities rushed to collect hundreds of containers that were drifting on the water in the southern port city of Kaohsiung.