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.

"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,

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