05/12/97 PATTEN'S HONG KONG GOOD-BYE

PATTEN'S HONG KONG GOOD-BYE

Christopher F. Patten's days as Governor of Hong Kong may be numbered. But after he hands the territory over to China on July 1, he won't be forgetting about Asia. Patten plans to write a book about the region based on his five years there. ''What has happened in Asia has been spectacular, but it does not amount to a miracle,'' Patten told BUSINESS WEEK. ''And I don't think it's necessarily going to roll on exponentially.'' Asia, he says, still faces problems that range from political transitions to the environment.
Patten argues that the world needs ''a more coherent approach to [dealing] with China.'' But it should not tiptoe around issues that China considers important. He's leery about forecasts that the 21st century is China's and Asia's. The next century, adds Patten, belongs to countries ''best able to combine economic liberty and political freedom.''