Five-meter waves pounded Taiwan's shores on Wednesday as Super Typhoon Kong-rey drew near, with forecasters expecting the storm to hit the island as one of the most powerful in years.

Kong-rey's winds were sustaining maximum speeds of more than 230 kph as it approached Taiwan, the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center said, slightly slower than an earlier reading.

The storm was expected to unleash "destructive" winds when it made landfall in the lightly populated southeast on Thursday, the state weather forecaster, Central Weather Administration, said.