Chief Executive-designate Tung Chee-hwa's $627,000 donation to the Conservative Party has prompted much criticism recently but Hong Kong Chinese donations to the Tories before the 1992 elections were never a secret - back in 1993, there was already a major political row in Britain over them.
Reportedly in the British media, a number of Hong Kong business heavyweights contributed to the ruling party, including Li Ka-shing - who offered GBP500,000 (about HK$6.3 million) and entertained Prime Minister John Major during his brief visit to the territory in September 1991.
Pro-China businessman Tsui Tsin-tong was also reported to have contributed GBP50,000 and other large donors were said to be daughters of the late Sir Y K Pao and flamboyant businessman David Tang.
Compared with Mr Li, Mr Tung was not exceptionally generous to the Tories. So why should his actions be questioned? Until the July 1 handover, Hong Kong remains part of British territory and any Hong Kong Chinese contributing to the Tories or the Labour Party before next month's much-hyped general election should not be accused of trying to exert foreign influence on British politics.
After all, many of them are British subjects, even if they do not hold a foreign passport.
But what is interesting about Mr Tung's donation is not his admission of having made it, it is rather his subsequent remark in which he said that it is precisely because of what he did that he was 'particularly sensitive that this should not happen in Hong Kong'.