China on Friday accused Australia of deliberately provoking it with a maritime patrol in the disputed South China Sea. The Asian country said Australia was spreading false narratives, but Australia maintained that its action adhered to international law.

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,

The South China Sea is the linchpin of modern Indo-Pacific relations. As the United States and China remain locked in a Great Power Competition, regional autonomy in the South China Sea has become a s