Dhaka, Sept. 24 -- China ordered at least 10 cities to shut down schools and businesses on Tuesday, as Super Typhoon Ragasa approached the country's south.

The measures will affect tens of millions of people and crimp activity at thousands of factories across a swathe of China's manufacturing heartland.

Ragasa is expected to make landfall in the central and western coastal areas of Guangdong within 24 hours, the province's emergency management bureau said in a statement on Tuesday morning.

"Key areas should decisively adopt measures fully ensuring the safety of people's lives and property, and minimising disaster losses to the greatest extent," the statement said.

Guangdong triggered its highest emergency response for windstorms as Ra...