Communist China's integration into world diplomatic and trading systems in the 1950s was troublesome: relations with British governments and British business interests were no exception. The book examines the origins of `Two Chinas', the impact of the Korean War and focuses above all on British government policy towards China. It argues that the most significant influence on government policy was the relationship between the state and business elites; a symbiotic relationship that coalesced around an imperial concern: Hong Kong.