Chinese fighter jets simulated "constructive kills" against the HMS Richmond as it sailed through the Taiwan Strait, with a naval officer claiming they were "pretending to kill us".
The Royal Navy warship was sailing through the Strait earlier this month when the incident happened.
HMS Richmond is a ship in the UK's carrier strike group, with the Chinese tactic mimicking a missile launch without actually firing anything.
The navy ship sailed alongside the US destroyer USS Higgins.
China's Eastern Theater Command accused the ships of "trouble-making and provocation" at the time.
It said it released its naval and air units to closely follow the ships.
One of the units deployed was the Chinese Changhe Z-10 fighter jet and it shadowed one of the anti-submarine helicopters on HMS Richmond.
A HMS Prince of Wales officer, leading the carrier group, told The Times that Chinese forces were "pretending to kill us".
HMS Richmond was joined by USS Higgins as it sailed through the Strait
| MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"They follow the path they would go on if they were launching (an) attack," the officer said.
"They gain height, then pull away and turn at 50 degrees.
"It's an info-war operation - they want us to know they're targeting us.
"We were expecting a reaction but not a violent nature - we were confident that they wouldn't really fire a missile."
USS Higgins sailed with HMS Richmond
|GETTY
The officer added that the exercise was "mutually beneficial in training terms" and that speaking to other colleagues it could help British forces learn more about Chinese tactics.
Chinese ships also tracked the Prince of Wales as it sailed through the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea last week, where China has built several military installations.
"The Chinese were trying to harass us, four or five of them trying to get close," sub-lieutenant on the Prince of Wales, Rohan Lewis, said.
Other officers also said there were no major concerns.
China maintains sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea.
It has expanded its presence in the waters over the years, however, countries like Vietnam and the Philippines, along with the international court, have ruled on differing claims.
The UK has continued to say it has the right to freedom of navigation through international waters in both the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
Defence Secretary John Healey said in August: "We have a direct interest in the international rules, the freedom of the seas, the freedom of navigation and the stability and security in the Indo-Pacific".