China accuses Australia of deliberate provocation in South China Sea

By Liz Lee, Xiuhao Chen and Kirsty Needham

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.

The incident, in which Australia's defence minister said a Chinese PLA J-16 jet released flares within 30 m (100 feet) of an RAAF aircraft, comes amid ties strained by navy and air force interactions that Australia has called dangerous.

Friday's comments came a day after Australia flagged "unsafe and unprofessional" actions by the jet towards the patrol which it said was on routine surveillance in international waters on Tuesday, an account Beijing disputes.

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"Australia deliberately infringed upon China's rights in the South China Sea and provoked China, yet it was the villain who complained first, spreading false narratives," said Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for the Chinese defence ministry.

Zhang accused the Australian military aircraft of ignoring the main routes in the busy waterway, saying it "broke into the homes" of others, and adding that China's response was reasonable and a legitimate defence of sovereignty.

"We urge Australia to abandon its illusion of speculation and adventure," Zhang said.

He urged Australia to restrain its frontline naval and air forces, instead of "stirring up trouble" in the South China Sea to the detriment of others and itself.

Before the Chinese comments, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters, "We regard this action as unsafe. We've made that clear."

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the Australian aircraft was in international airspace, adding, "There was no way that the pilot of the Chinese J16 could have been able to control where the flares then go."

The Australian military's exercise of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea comes with increasing risk, Marles said.

"We do it in accordance with international law," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in an earlier interview on Friday.

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"We're not the only country that does it. But it is really important that we are asserting the rules of the road, as it were."

The Philippine foreign ministry expressed concern over the incident, citing "unsafe manoeuvres" by the Chinese aircraft.

"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," it said in a statement.

China claims vast swathes of the South China Sea, despite overlapping claims by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

China rejects a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague that its sweeping claims were not supported by international law.