WHEN THE Gulf War erupted a decade ago, it almost seemed that Hong Kong and the mainland were on opposite sides of the conflict.
Not that Beijing openly backed Baghdad, despite its long-standing ties - and arms sales - to Saddam Hussein's regime. But China made little secret of its unhappiness at the American-led army and its use of overwhelming firepower to drive Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
Beijing was also the only permanent member of the United Nations Security Council not to back the crucial resolution authorising this, although it reluctantly abstained instead of voting against it.
By contrast, Hong Kong seemed unequivocally behind the United States and its Western allies. Locally based British troops were dispatched to help retake Kuwait, and legislators overwhelmingly approved $230 million to fund logistical and other support services for the international force.
But the world has changed greatly in the subsequent decade, and Hong Kong and all of China with it. So when extremists in the Middle East once again carried out a horrific act last week, what was more striking this time were the similarities - rather than the differences - in the reactions of what are now two parts of the same country.
China is vastly different from what it was in 1991, and from many mainlanders who visit the US, it was grimly inevitable that some would be among the thousands killed in the terrorist assault on the World Trade Centre. Increasing access to world news via the Internet and a more freewheeling domestic media also meant the full horror of the attack was carried directly into homes across the nation.
That perhaps was reflected in the speed with which President Jiang Zemin offered his condolences, even if his words were less heartfelt than those of other world leaders. A more crucial test will come when the US retaliates against Osama bin Laden and his Afghan backers, who are thought to be behind Tuesday's attack.