The US has expressed concern over the navy’s accidental launch of a missile into the Taiwan Strait on Friday last week and offered to provide technical assistance to help determine the cause of the incident, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee (李大維) said yesterday.

Lee made the comments on the sidelines of a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which was held to review President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) achievements during her first state visit to the nation’s diplomatic allies in Latin America.

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday called the accidental firing of an anti-ship missile on Friday “unforgivable.”

“The missile mishap on board the Chinchiang-class corvette was absolutely unforgivable,” Tsai said on Facebook. “The armed forces and I are one: When they do well, I would share their glory, and when they make a mistake, I would definitely face it with them.”

Investigators in Kaohsiung yesterday gather evidence on board the Hsiang Li Sheng, a fishing boat that was hit by the unintentional discharge of a missile.
Photo: CNA

One fisherman was killed and three injured after a locally developed supersonic anti-ship missile was launched from one of the navy’s 500-tonne corvettes docked at Zuoying (左營) Military Harbor in Kaohsiung at 8:15am yesterday, the navy said.