By recognizing Communist China last Jan. 6, Britain hoped to protect her huge commercial stake there. Some British optimists also hoped to gain a political advantage; they thought that Mao Tse-tung might become another Tito. In the House of Commons last week, ailing Ernie Bevin sadly dismissed the second hope: "I think Mao Tse-tung has been receiving advice from Moscow—his is the same kind of attitude as Moscow's."
Although Peking has kept its Communist snoot in the air and has left Britain dangling unrecognized for five months, Bevin still stubbornly defended the first hope: "We had large interests in China...
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