A Chinese plane deployed flares near a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) aircraft in an "unsafe" incident in the South China Sea, the government says.

The Department of Defence said it has "expressed its concerns" with its Chinese counterparts following an interaction between a People's Liberation Army–Air Force (PLA-AF) aircraft and a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft yesterday.

The PLA-AF aircraft released flares in close proximity to the RAAF aircraft, the department said in a statement.

"This was an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre that posed a risk to the aircraft and its personnel," the statement reads.

"No injuries were sustained by Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel nor was damage caused to the RAAF P-8A.

"The safety and wellbei

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