Top Taiwan Defense Official in Charge of Missile Production Found Dead in Hotel: Report

The vice president of Taiwan’s state-run weapons developer died of a heart attack in his Hengchun Township hotel room Saturday.

Ouyang Li-hsing, 57, was not breathing when his aide found him after hotel staff unlocked his door around 7:20 a.m. Saturday, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency. Police responding to the aide’s call determined Ouyang was dead, according to Hengchun Precinct’s Deputy Director Wang Chin-tsung.

After finding Ouyang dead, police searched the scene, according to the CNA report. Law enforcement found no open windows and saw no signs of a break-in or fighting. The VP of National Chung-Shan Institute of Science & Technology (NCSIST) did not have any wounds on his body, Deputy Director Wang said. Police also reviewed surveillance video footage from the hotel.

Hengchun health authorities determined Ouyang died of a heart attack and ruled out foul play, according to an  NCSIST statement.

The NCSIST vice president’s family said he had a history of heart disease and had previously had a stent placed in an artery to improve blood flow, according to police.

Ouyang visited the southern Taiwan township for an Indigenous harvest festival in Pingtung’s Manzhou Township on Saturday.

The military-owned NCSIST plans to build 34 new facilities to manufacture missiles by the end of June, a move designed to meet “production peak” in 2023. Ouyang was reportedly leading the island nation’s effort to significantly boost the number of missiles produced domestically.

The breakaway nation added almost $9 billion USD to its budget for increased military production. Among Taiwan’s goals is jumping from the current 207 missiles made per year to 497 per year, according to the Reuters report.

Missile systems the country hopes to boost production of include Taiwan’s self-made Wan Chien air-to-ground missiles, and an upgraded version of the Hsiung Feng IIE missile, the longer-range land-attack missile military experts consider capable of hitting targets deep inside mainland China.