China strongly condemned the reported fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by the Filipino military earlier in the day, the spokesperson of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office said Thursday.

Yang Yi labelled the shooting "barbaric," and said China demands a swift investigation by the philippines.

"We are in deep mourning over the fisherman's death and express condolence over the shooting," Yang said.

According to the island's fishing authority and media reports, a Taiwanese fisherman was shot dead on Thursday morning when a Filipino military ship opened fire on a Taiwanese fishing boat.

Tsay Tzu-yaw, deputy head of Taiwan's fishery administration, told that the shooting occurred around 10 a.m. in a sea area some 180 nautical miles southeast of Erluanbi, the southernmost tip of the island of Taiwan.

According to media reports, after killing the fisherman, the Filipino military ship continued to chase and fire in bursts at the Taiwanese vessel.

It escaped danger only after fleeing for more than an hour, with equipment onboard severely damaged, according to reports carried by Taiwanese media outlets.

Tsay said the Taiwanese boat lost its power shortly after that point.

Following the crew radioing for help, he added, certain boats came to assist the fishing vessel, which is expected to return to Taiwan on Friday. The island's marine patrol authority will also send vessels to help, according to Tsay.

It is unknown why the Filipino military ship opened fire, he said.

According to media reports, a spokesperson of the Filipino foreign ministry said that he couldn't verify the incident.

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