Australia spotted three Chinese warships sailing near its coast as Beijing accused Canberra of sending a spy plane into its "territorial airspace" over the contested South China Sea. Newsweek has contacted the Australian and Chinese militaries for comment by email.

Australia has accused the Chinese air force of an “unsafe and unprofessional interaction” with one of Canberra’s military aircraft over the South China Sea during a routine maritime surveillance operation.

Canberra’s claim that Beijing failed to give enough notice is ‘completely inconsistent with the facts’, Chinese defence ministry says.

China has accused Australia of deliberate provocation in the South China Sea, claiming Canberra is invading and breaking into its territory. A spokesperson for Chinas defense ministry on Friday condemned Australia

Canberra says Chinese jet dropped flares nears its air force plane as China accuses Australia of airspace intrusion.

Canberra criticised the ‘unsafe and unprofessional’ manoeuvre that posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel.

Three Chinese warships have been spotted in international waters off the coast of Australia’s largest city, Sydney, in a rare show of military might that will likely test diplomatic ties between Canberra and Beijing.

Beijing on Sunday said Canberra had “deliberately hyped” recent Chinese naval exercises near the Australian coast and confirmed its forces had used live fire in an incident th

China didn’t violate any rules with live-fire military exercises in the high seas. But the South Pacific will increasingly be a strategically contested maritime space, says international law expert Donald R Rothwell.

Alarm rippled through Australian and New Zealand corridors of power as a Chinese naval task group sailed through waters separating the antipodean nations, firing live rounds and causing commercial jetliners to divert.

Australia's defense forces, joined by New Zealand, have been monitoring Chinese navy vessels since they were spotted last week.

China on Sunday said Canberra had "deliberately hyped" recent Chinese naval exercises near the Australian coast and confirmed its forces had used live fire in an incident that rattled Australian policymakers.