London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 08, 2025

Hong Kong’s Reign as World’s Freest Economy at Risk, Group Warns

Hong Kong’s Reign as World’s Freest Economy at Risk, Group Warns

Hong Kong’s long reign as the world’s freest economy is at risk due to China’s efforts to quell dissent, the Fraser Institute said, undercutting government arguments that the crackdown was improving the business climate.

The Vancouver-based research institution warned in its 2020 Economic Freedom of the World report that the sweeping national security law enacted in June and other measures would hurt Hong Kong’s No. 1 ranking in future surveys.

The former British colony continued its 24-year run atop the latest report, which was based on data from 2018, ahead of Singapore and New Zealand.

“Hong Kong’s rating in this report is unaffected by the 2019 proposal to transfer certain legal cases to the mainland and the protest and sometimes brutal suppression that followed,” the right-leaning think tank said.

“However, it will be surprising if the apparent increase in the insecurity of property rights and the weakening of the rule of law caused by the interventions of the Chinese government in 2019 and 2020 do not result in lower scores.”

Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam has cited the city’s continued high rankings in the Fraser report and similar surveys to counter claims that efforts to crackdown on political unrest were jeopardizing its status as a global financial center.

The security law imposed by China gave the government vast new authority to prosecute subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign powers, including the ability to transfer cases to mainland courts.

The government dismissed the report’s assertions, saying it remained determined and committed to upholding the rule of law. “It is with regret that Fraser Institute preempts lower future scores in this area with biased comments and unfair speculations based on selective ungrounded views,” the government said in a statement Friday.



The decision to impose the security law without a public hearing or vote was arguably the most dramatic shock to Hong Kong’s political system since it was returned to Chinese rule in 1997. The government has already used the law to outlaw protest slogans and arrest more than 20 activists, including media tycoon Jimmy Lai.

The legislation has prompted the U.S. to roll back special trading privileges granted to Hong Kong while technology companies have accelerated efforts to move sensitive data out of the city. On Thursday, Hong Kong police arrested 15 people on suspicion of manipulating the stock price of Lai’s Next Digital Ltd. during a campaign to support the company after his arrest last month.

Hong Kong slipped to second place in the Heritage Foundation’s 2020 Index of Economic Freedom, due to last year’s political turmoil. The city also tumbled seven spots to 80th place in the Reporters Without Borders’ latest 2020 World Press Freedom Index.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
×