The prime minister has directly raised concerns with his Chinese counterpart after the nation's military aircraft released flares close to an Australian defence jet.

But Anthony Albanese remained tight-lipped on what details were raised and how China's Premier Li Qiang responded following a bilateral talk in Malaysia on Monday.

"He (Premier Li) heard the message very directly. I'm not here to report on what people say when I have meetings," the prime minister told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.

"I'm accountable for what I say and I made the position directly clear that this was an incident of concern for Australia."

Australia lodged a diplomatic protest with Beijing after the Chinese military released the flare in "close proximity" to a RAAF plane in the South China Sea last week.

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