Britain extends diplomatic recognition to other nationsas Sir Winston Churchill said, in justifying hasty recognition of the Chinese Communist regime eight years ago"not to confer a compliment but to secure a convenience." But recognition saved none of Britain's $840 million of investments in China; and instead of an exchange of ambassadors, Britain has had to be content with a chargé d'affaires who got a humiliating run-around in the waiting rooms of Peking bureaucracy.
To the many Britons eager to try again in the phantom hope of restoring a big Chinese trade, British...