An undated handout photo released on Friday by the Liuqiu fishing committee in Taiwan's Pingtung county, shows the Guang Ta Hsin 28 fishing vessel at a harbor in Liuqiu. [Photo/Agencies]

Philippine military vessel fired on unarmed fishing boat from Taiwan

China strongly condemned the Philippines' "barbaric" fatal shooting of a 65-year-old fisherman from Taiwan on Thursday, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Friday.

"We strongly urge again that the Philippines investigate the case immediately and handle the issue properly. We will keep a close watch on the development of the incident," said Hua Chunying, spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a daily news conference.

China expressed deep concern over the Philippines' repeated attacks against unarmed fishermen, Hua said.

"We wish to express deep grief over the death of the Taiwan fisherman and give condolences to the victim's family," Hua said.

Responding to a Philippine news report stating that some Chinese vessels were spotted near Ren'ai Jiao, Hua said China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters.

The shooting occurred at about 10 am on Thursday in an area about 160 nautical miles southeast of the southernmost tip of the island of Taiwan, according to Taiwan's coast guard authority.

The victim was identified as 65-year-old Hung Shih-cheng. Four seamen were on the boat, the Guang Ta Hsin 28. The other three — the victim's son, his son-in-law and an Indonesian fisherman —were all injured, the Beijing Times reported.

The Philippine vessel fired nearly 40 shots at the fishing boat.

After killing the fisherman, the Philippine armed vessel continued to chase and fire at the fishing boat for another hour and a half, according to reports carried by Taiwan media outlets.

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