BEIJING - The National Meteorological Center (NMC) on Tuesday issued a yellow alert as typhoon Nesat entered the South China Sea and may bring heavy rains and gales to China's coastal regions.

Nesat, the 17th typhoon of the year, was located at 17.1 degrees north longitude and 119.7 degrees east latitude at 5 pm Tuesday, according to a statement on the NMC's website.

The typhoon is expected to move northwest at 20-25 km per hour. It will approach the western part of Guangdong province or China's southernmost island province of Hainan and continue to strengthen, the statement said.

Nesat will bring gales that will batter the coastal areas of Fujian, Guangdong, and Taiwan over the next 24 hours, according to the statement.