British frigate sails through sensitive Taiwan Strait en route to Vietnam

A British frigate was sailing through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Monday en route to Vietnam, according to an official tweet from the vessel, in a move likely to anger Beijing amid heightened tensions between China and Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has stepped up military and political pressure to force the democratically ruled island to accept Chinese sovereignty, Reuters reports.  While US warships pass through the strait on an almost monthly basis, despite Chinese opposition, US allies have generally been reluctant to follow suit.