China on Friday said it is seeking a 'responsible' explanation from Taiwan about the missile firing incident.

A Taiwanese naval vessel accidentally fired a Hsiung Feng III supersonic missile into the Taiwan Strait on Friday, leaving a fishing boat owner dead and two crews wounded. Beijing has described the incident a serious matter.

Like Us on Facebook

"The incident occurred and has caused a severe impact at a time when the mainland has repeatedly emphasized safeguarding the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations based on the political foundation of the 1992 Consensus," Zhang Zhijun of China's Taiwan Affairs Office said, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. "The Taiwan side should offer a responsible explanation of the matter."

Meanwhile, Taipei has launched a probe into the incident calling it a missile 'blunder.' President Tsai Ing-wen on Saturday ordered country's top defense officials to conduct a review of fleet management and personnel training. Taiwan's Defence Minister Feng Shih-kuan offered an apology to the family of the boat captain.

Beijing has suspended cross-Taiwan Strait communication. Nonetheless, President Tsai Ing-wen expressed her willingness to continue dialogue with China.

"We will continue the dialogue with mainland China as even though... official negotiation channels have been temporarily interrupted, there still exist other options for communication and dialogue," she said recently.

Tagschina, Taiwan, missile, Tsai, dpp