China accused Australia on Friday of deliberately provoking it with a maritime patrol in the disputed South China Sea this week, saying the latter was spreading "false narratives", though Australia maintained its action adhered to international law.

China in turn accused the Australian plane of "deliberately" intruding into airspace over the disputed Paracel Islands,

Australia has raised concerns with China over what it said on Thursday were "unsafe and unprofessional" actions by a Chinese fighter jet towards an Australian maritime patrol in the South China Sea two days earlier,

China accused Australia of deliberately "provoking" China in the South China Sea this week, and of "invading" and "breaking into" the homes of others, its defence ministry said on Friday. The ministry spokesperson said Australia was spreading "false narratives".

A Chinese military helicopter flew within 10 feet (3 meters) of a Philippine patrol plane over the South China Sea on Tuesday, in what observers said was the second incident of potentially catastrophic behavior by the People’s Liberation Army against foreign aircraft in a week.

The answer appears to have been Chinese concern about a relatively new defense pact involving Australia, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. Under the pact, known by an acronym, Aukus, Australian warships have entered the South China Sea along with their allies.

Australia has protested what it describes as an unsafe and unprofessional interaction over the South China Sea where a Chinese fighter is accused of releasing flares that endangered an Australian mili

Beijing swiftly hit back, accusing the Australian plane of "violating Chinese sovereignty and endangering Chinese national security".

"All countries are expected to respect freedom of navigation and overflight in and above international sea lines of communication, such as the South China Sea, and to avoid interference in legitimate activities conducted in international waters and airspace," the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Beijing has claimed sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, claims that overlap with those of neighboring nations. The bilateral meeting was suspended by China in 2019 after Australia banned ...

Australia has protested what it described as an unsafe and unprofessional interaction over the South China Sea where a Chinese fighter jet is accused of releasing flares that endangered an ...