The Philippines and China have accused each other's air force of engaging in obstructive behavior over a contested area of the South China Sea.

The Philippine military said on Saturday that two Chinese military aircraft executed a dangerous maneuver and dropped flares in the path of a Philippine air force plane over the Scarborough Shoal on Thursday.

It said the Philippine aircraft, which was on a routine maritime patrol mission, safely returned to base and all personnel on board were unharmed.

The Philippine military said it "strongly condemns the dangerous and provocative actions" by the Chinese aircraft, which it said "posed a threat" to its air force crew and "interfered with lawful flight operations."

The Chinese military's Southern Theater Command hit back, saying that the Philippine aircraft ignored repeated warnings and illegally intruded into China's airspace, disrupting its normal training activities.

The Philippines and China both claim the Scarborough Shoal.

In another part of the South China Sea, the two countries have been showing signs of trying to ease tensions.

They agreed last month on a provisional arrangement for resupply missions to the Second Thomas Shoal, which is effectively controlled by the Philippines.