Following Ottawa's criticism of Beijing for what it called a second dangerous midair intercept in two weeks, China accused Canada on Saturday of conducting a "malicious and provocative" air patrol over the disputed South China Sea.

On November 3, Canada's Defence Minister Bill Blair announced that on October 29, a Chinese fighter jet had passed near a Canadian Cyclone helicopter twice, with the second flypast resulting in flares being fired "directly in front" of the aircraft.

The jet's actions "were deemed to be significantly unsafe", Blair said of the incident, which followed a similar near-miss over another disputed waterway near China in mid-October.

Beijing hit back at Blair's claims on Saturday, with a defense ministry spokesperson saying the Canadian helicopter conducted "a malicious and provocative act with ulterior motives".

"Recently, ship-borne helicopters on Canada's HMCS Ottawa made two sorties towards the airspace around China's Xisha Islands, with unknown intentions," Zhang Xiaogang said in an online statement, using the Chinese name for the Paracels.

"China's People's Liberation Army organized naval and air forces to identify and verify (the craft) in accordance with the law, and issued multiple warnings," Zhang said.

"However, the Canadian helicopter not only refused to respond but also took provocative actions such as flying at ultra-low altitudes," he added.

"Afterwards, (Canada) wantonly hyped the event and made accusations and smears against China in the media," Mr. Zhang claimed.

"Canada's actions violated China's domestic laws and international law, endangered China's sovereignty and security," he said.

"We urge the Canadian side... to strictly curb the actions of frontline sea and air forces to prevent accidents at sea and in the air."

In an effort to solidify the South China Sea's status as an international waterway, the United States and its allies were transiting it with the HMCS Ottawa.

China has defied an international court's decision that its claim lacks legal support and continues to maintain its claims over nearly the whole South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars worth of trade flow each year.

Beijing has deployed hundreds of vessels and aircraft in the area, some of which have clashed with Philippine and Vietnamese ships.

In the middle of October, Chinese fighter jets flew close to a Canadian Aurora maritime patrol aircraft that was assisting in making sure North Korea followed the rules from the United Nations about their nuclear weapons tests and missile launches.

Blair had called the latter actions by the Chinese air force -- coming within five meters (15 feet) of the Canadian plane -- "dangerous and reckless".

In retaliation, Beijing said that the Aurora aircraft had "illegally intruded into the airspace" of Chiwei Island, which is part of China's disputed Senkaku Islands, which are controlled by Japan.

Image source: Reuters