From correspondents in Taipei County, China, 01:32 PM IST

Taiwan should learn a lesson from the ongoing conflict in the Caucasus and beware of a similar situation with China, a Taiwanese political analyst said Friday.

'Georgia's tragedy is a warning for Taiwan. Georgia sees a Russia which wants to regain its past power. Taiwan sees a China which has already risen,' political analyst Antonio Chiang said in his column in the Apple Daily.

'Every now and then, thug leaders pick out a weakling and knock his head against the wall, to remind others who is in charge,' he wrote in an article entitled, A Small but Smart War.

'This time Georgia was hit so hard that it suffered a concussion. The whole world saw this. To (Russian Prime Minister Vladimir) Putin, this is a small but smart war. He paid a small price but achieved great results,' he wrote.

'Russia's lightening military move has not only crushed Georgia's backbone, but also shaken neighboring countries like Crimea, Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic and the three Baltic states,' the article said.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)