The unidentified Chinese warship demanded that the India's INS Airawat, an amphibious assault vessel identify itself and explain its presence in the South China Sea, Britain's Financial Times newspaper reported.
The London-based paper said that the Indian warship was in international waters after completing a scheduled port call in Vietnam.It termed the actions of the Chinese warship as the latest example of Beijing's assertiveness which had irked India and Vietnam.
China claims the South China Sea in its entirety and rejects claims by other nations like Vietnam and Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan over the resource rich region.
The paper said that the Vietnamese foreign ministry has acknowledged that the Indian warship had visited the country from July 19-22 but added that it had no information about the incident. The Financial Times said, that Chinese defence and foreign ministries declined to comment as did India.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently condemned acts of intimidation in the international waters in an apparent reference to mounting tensions in the South China Sea.
A Pentagon report last week had said China was rapidly building up its surface and underwater naval capabilities as it places growing priority on securing shipping lanes and mineral rich areas in South China Sea.
Source: PTI