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EDITORIAL: A British warning hardly registers

How disappointing it was to see British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Wednesday follow in the footsteps of French President Nicolas Sarkozy and publicly oppose the planned referendum on UN membership using the name "Taiwan."

Miliband, with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi (楊潔箎) by his side, told reporters that Britain did "not support the proposed referendum," adding that cross-strait stability was important and "any reckless maneuvers are to be deplored."

Even so, the announcement comes as no surprise. Diplomatic realpolitik means that the national interest will, when necessary, trump considerations such as democracy and human rights. And for Britain, as with so many other countries, keeping the Chinese on side is a top priority given their economic might and perceived diplomatic leverage.

Former British prime minister Winston Churchill once said: "The reason for having diplomatic relations is not to confer a compliment, but to secure a convenience."

True to this spirit, Britain has a long history of placating Beijing to serve its own, usually economic, interests. Indeed, the UK was one of the first states to move to abandon the Republic of China, its World War II ally, when it offered to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing in January 1950.

The rationale behind the swift offer of recognition is not fully understood, but it can be assumed that the threat to long-standing British commercial interests in China posed by the Communist takeover was one of the most pressing reasons.

Miliband's announcement on Wednesday was only the latest manifestation of this very British tradition.

Add that to a series of identical messages emanating from developed nations around the globe as they come under Chinese pressure and what emerges is a clever change of tack from the Chinese.

Previously, Taiwanese election campaigns received a mixture of indirect and direct threats from Beijing, with poor consequences for pro-unification candidates.

This time, however, China has learned from its mistakes. It is now twisting the arms of Miliband and other European politicians, getting them to do its dirty work as Taiwan's election season begins.

But when such "warnings" are issued -- as with Miliband and Sarkozy, with a Chinese official glowering by their side -- any impact is likely to be minimal, because this method is arguably just as offensive as direct intervention.

Fortunately for Taiwan, a rebuke from the UK, like that from France last week, is nothing to worry about. London's message carries nowhere near the same weight as one from Taipei's staunchest and arguably only reliable ally, the US.

As US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney put it recently, since World War II, Britain, along with the rest of Europe, has faded from the heights to become a "second-tier nation." It is no longer a world power as it was in the days of Empire.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs should therefore issue the obligatory polite reply rebutting Miliband's comments and then put the issue to one side.

That way the public can get on with making their own -- and more profound -- statement of intent to defy Chinese belligerence, no matter which pliable countries channel their agenda.
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