A Taiwanese warship on Friday accidentally fired a supersonic anti-ship missile towards mainland China that hit a fishing boat, killing one and injuring three people, on a day China was busy celebrating the 95th anniversary of the ruling Communist Party.
The accidental launch of the domestically developed Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile from a naval base in Kaohsiung, south of the island, took place as Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, also commander-in-chief of the armed forces, was overseas. The missile, with a range of 300 kilometres, flew about 75 kilometres before plunging into waters off Penghu, a Taiwanese -administered island in the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwanese Defence Ministry said the missile hit a Taiwanese fishing boat, killing one person and injuring three crew members.
“The missile was launched by operational error. We are investigating the case,” Vice-Admiral Mei Chia-hsu of the Taiwanese Navy was quoted as saying by the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.
Asked if the incident risked a misunderstanding with Beijing, Mei said the navy had reported the incident to the island’s defence ministry, which would handle the case accordingly.
Meanwhile in Beijing, Taiwan figured prominently in a speech by President Xi Jinping to a rally to mark the 95th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), where he said China is firmly opposed to Taiwan’s independence.
Xi, who is also the general secretary of the CPC, stressed the political foundation of adhering to the 1992 Consensus and opposing “Taiwan independence” to ensure the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.
“We firmly oppose the ‘Taiwan independence’ secessionist activities,” Xi said at the ceremony.