Indian Navy warships, which were leaving Vietnam after participating in an exercise in the South China Sea with the country’s navy for the first time in the last week of May, were “tailed” by a Chinese warship, India Today has reported.

According to the report, the Chinese warship, which tried to snoop on the Indian flotilla, was "at a safe distance". The incident happened while the Indian warships were in international waters and the crew took evasive steps to hamper the Chinese plans. The Chinese were trying to collect “electronic signatures” of the Indian warships, which are used for identification, the report says.

"We knew we were being tailed, but we were on international waters, and therefore took evasive measures," India Today quoted sources as saying.

Indigenous stealth frigate INS Sahyadri, anti-submarine stealth corvette INS Kamorta and a fleet tanker made a port call at Vietnam’s Danang between 21 and 25 May.

When the exercise was announced, the Chinese media had called it a “futile attempt to flex muscle”. The primary goal of India’s exercise with Vietnam was "to contain China”, the hawkish state-run propaganda outlets had said.

The warships are now going to Guam for the 22nd edition of Exercise Malabar with the United States and Japan. The warships will exercise in Guam from 7 to 16 June.