China has issued a "stern protest" to Australia after a mid-air incident over the weekend involving military planes from the two countries, a spokesman for Beijing's defence ministry said Wednesday.

Australia said that its Poseidon surveillance plane was approached by a Chinese fighter jet during a Sunday patrol over the disputed South China Sea.

The Chinese jet released flares in "close proximity" to the Australian aircraft, endangering the crew onboard, the defence department said.

China's military said Monday it had taken "effective countermeasures", accusing the Australian aircraft of having "illegally intruded" into Chinese airspace over the Xisha Islands, using Beijing's name for the Paracel Islands.

It was the latest in a string of episodes between China and Australia in the inc

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