BEIJING, July 25 -- China's Ministry of Transport on Thursday upgraded the emergency response to Typhoon Gaemi to Level II, the second highest level.

The ministry said it will closely monitor the typhoon, strengthen warning and coordination with other departments, and guide local transport authorities on typhoon prevention and response.

Typhoon Gaemi, the third typhoon of the year, was located 55 km southeast of waters off Pingtan in east China's Fujian Province at 10 a.m. Thursday, according to a red alert renewed by the National Meteorological Center.

It is forecast to travel northwest at a speed of 10 to 15 kph and make landfall along the coast in Fujian Province on Thursday evening, said the center.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Water Resources launched a Level-IV emergency response to flooding in the Liaoning and Jilin provinces, which are expected to be affected by the typhoon. On Wednesday, the same level of response was activated in the provincial-level regions of Zhejiang, Fujian, Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei.

China has a four-tier emergency response system for typhoons, with Level I being the highest.