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For more than a week, Governor Chris Patten and the local business community were engaged in an acrimonious row.

  In an unprecedented move, seven business organisations wrote to Prime Minister John Major to complain about remarks made by Mr Patten during his recent North American tour which they said cast doubt on the integrity of the business community and undermined their contribution.

  The United Front of the Chinese Communist Party used this to whip up resentment against Mr Patten. Feedback to the district offices showed many people thought he was being unfair and divisive.

  Ever since the Governor launched his political reform proposals in 1992 and was bitterly attacked by the Chinese Government, there has been no love lost between him and the business community.

  While some businessmen are sworn enemies of democracy, others hate the Governor for refusing to 'co-operate' with Beijing. To them, confrontation is bad for business.

  Mr Patten has on several occasions taken the business community to task for failing to speak up for the interests of Hong Kong and I agree with him. But Mr Patten's remarks ring hollow because he did not say that, until recently, the business community behaved in the same way towards the British.

  The Governor may shout about the importance of safeguarding human rights, the rule of law and democratic institutions and the danger of dismantling the Legislative Council next year, but he can give no convincing answer when asked what the British Government is doing about it.

  His claim that Britain's moral responsibility extends beyond June 30, 1997 sounds empty and ridiculous, as Britain will not give citizenship to her 3.5 million subjects here.

  At the height of the Patten-business row, Deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine led a 270-strong business delegation to China. That shows where British interests lie.

  Last summer Mr Heseltine led a similar delegation to China and was 'credited' with clinching the deal on the Court of Final Appeal, which decided to restrict the court's power to invite foreign judges to sit.

  The visit by Mr Heseltine last year signalled London's decision to improve relations with China. This means business is paramount and Hong Kong must not stand in the way.

  To save face, Mr Patten will continue to pay lip service to standing up for Hong Kong, but his righteous indignation will not be backed up by action from London.

  Compared with the Heseltine trade visit, has any delegation ever been sent to persuade China to act with restraint and magnanimity towards Hong Kong?   Commenting on the European Union's refusal to lift the worldwide ban on British beef, Mr Major told Parliament last week that Britain would stop co-operating with the European Union unless the ban was lifted.

  The export of British beef is no doubt far more important than the future of Hong Kong, but this episode highlights moves that Britain can make to induce a particular outcome.

  Hong Kong people have been repeatedly told that Britain has no cards to play vis-a-vis China. Is this really so? In the gamut of international relations, there are bound to be areas in which British help would be appreciated by China.

  However, not only has Britain refused to make any sacrifices on Hong Kong's behalf, the colony's interests are being undermined for the sake of commercial advantages for Britain.

  The Governor denied he had accused the business community of betraying Hong Kong, but many people here feel they have been betrayed by Britain.



Feeling of betrayal strikes both ways