<div>A Taiwanese warship today 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />"More than 1.3 billion Chinese people and the whole Chinese nation will by no means tolerate secessionist activities by any person, at any time and in any form," he said.<br />China claims Taiwan as part of the mainland despite the 1949 estrangement.<br /><br />Relations between the two sides which showed significant improvement in recent years took a hit after election of Tsai, who defeated Ma Ying-Jeou who promoted normalisation of ties between the two sides in recent election.<br /><br />Tsai has also refused to endorse the concept of a single Chinese nation. China has scaled down the normalisation process since then.<br /><br />The Taiwanese missile did not pass the mid-course line of the Taiwan Strait, Mei said, which meant it was not aimed at Fujian province, which lies on the other side of the strait.<br /><br />Mei said the Chinchiang (PCG-610) patrol ship was undergoing a drill inspection when officers failed to follow standard operating procedures and launched the missile by mistake.</div>
<div>A Taiwanese warship today 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />"More than 1.3 billion Chinese people and the whole Chinese nation will by no means tolerate secessionist activities by any person, at any time and in any form," he said.<br />China claims Taiwan as part of the mainland despite the 1949 estrangement.<br /><br />Relations between the two sides which showed significant improvement in recent years took a hit after election of Tsai, who defeated Ma Ying-Jeou who promoted normalisation of ties between the two sides in recent election.<br /><br />Tsai has also refused to endorse the concept of a single Chinese nation. China has scaled down the normalisation process since then.<br /><br />The Taiwanese missile did not pass the mid-course line of the Taiwan Strait, Mei said, which meant it was not aimed at Fujian province, which lies on the other side of the strait.<br /><br />Mei said the Chinchiang (PCG-610) patrol ship was undergoing a drill inspection when officers failed to follow standard operating procedures and launched the missile by mistake.</div>