The Australian Navy was closely followed by the Chinese military in a recent transit of the South China Sea, near islands controversially claimed by Beijing.

Key points: The Chinese military tailed the Australians as they travelled towards Vietnam

The Chinese military tailed the Australians as they travelled towards Vietnam Air Commodore Owen says the interaction was "no different" to encounters with other navies

Air Commodore Owen says the interaction was "no different" to encounters with other navies The Australian fleet was ending a three-month-long tour of seven Asian nations

Defence confirmed it had a "professional" and "friendly" interaction with the People's Liberation Army during Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019, an ADF regional engagement mission which wrapped up today.

HMAS Canberra has anchored at Darwin, ending a three-month-long tour of seven Asian nations involving three other Australian warships, aircraft and more than 1,200 defence personnel.

Air Commodore Richard Owen spoke to the ABC on board the Task Group's flagship HMAS Canberra after she arrived in the Top End.

He said the Australian Task Group made two transits through the South China Sea, where the Chinese military keeps a close eye on international visitors who pass through the contested waters.

"It is controversial, we were quite aware of that," Air Commodore Owen said.

"We transited north and south through the South China Sea in international waters and we were engaged, as we normally are, by other navies."

Commodore Owen said he had "no extra worries" about the interaction with the Chinese military. ( Supplied. )

The ABC can reveal the Australians were closely tailed by the Chinese military earlier this month as they made their way towards Vietnam, and as the Task Group departed Cam Ranh port.

"We were sensitive to all navy interactions, we train for that, we're aware of how they will behave and how we behave, so I had no extra worries about it at all, I was confident in the capabilities of the Royal Australian Navy and the ADF," Commodore Owen said.

"They'll want to know who we are, where we're going and what our intentions are, and the Chinese were no different — they were friendly, they were professional."

Last year the ABC revealed three Australian warships were also challenged by the Chinese military as they made their way to Vietnam for a three-day goodwill visit in Ho Chi Minh city.

During this year's Indo-Pacific Endeavour mission, HMAS Canberra was joined by HMAS Success, HMAS Newcastle and HMAS Parramatta, as well as embarked MH-60R maritime combat helicopters and MRH-90 maritime support helicopters.