‘Hong Kong’s Descent Into Tyranny Is a Tragedy’: Report

Hong Kong ranked 34th in the 2022 'Human Freedom Index'

A Star Ferry boat crosses Victoria Harbor in front of a skyline of buildings during sunset, as a meeting on national security legislation takes place in Hong Kong, on June 29, 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

According to the latest Human Freedom Index (HFI) 2022, Hong Kong fell from the world’s No. 1 in 2016 to 34th in 2022. The ranking of freedom of speech and freedom of association dropped to 78th and 140th, respectively.

The report is jointly released by the Cato Institute, an American think tank, and the Fraser Institute, a Canadian think tank. (pdf)

The “Human Freedom Index” compares the degree of personal and economic freedom in 165 countries and regions on the basis of 83 indicators in 12 categories, including the rule of law; security and safety; movement; religion; association, assembly, and civil society; expression and information; relationships; the size of government; legal system and property rights; sound money; freedom to trade internationally; and Regulation.

The report names ten countries and regions whose Human Freedom Index fell sharply between 2007 and 2020, including Syria, Nicaragua, Hungary, Egypt, Venezuela, Turkey, El Salvador, Burundi, Bahrain, and Hong Kong.

In terms of personal freedom, Hong Kong ranks 62nd; as for economic freedom, Hong Kong still ranks 1st.

‘CCP’s Negative Intervention on Hong Kong’

“Hong Kong’s descent into tyranny is a tragedy,” concluded the report, but Hong Kong will continue to be an important lesson in the value of freedom. The fate of Hong Kong is now tightly tied to that of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

It also predicts that the CCP will continue its oppression in Hong Kong, undermining its civil and individual liberties. Although Hong Kong maintains the highest level of economic freedom globally, it predicts that the CCP’s intervention will usher a more negative impact on Hong Kong’s economic freedom.

In the past few years, the CCP has stepped up its crackdown on the free market, accelerated the arrest of corporate executives, and sped up the establishment of party cells within private companies. The institutions believe that the CCP will eventually exercise the same control over Hong Kong that it has practiced over the mainland’s private sector.

The report cites estimates from other institutions that 73 percent of Chinese private companies have established party cells. And since the beginning of 2021, 92 percent of the “Top 500 Chinese companies” have established similar CCP cells.

“In 2020, the party’s infringements on freedom led to the end of the city’s autonomous status under the ‘one country, two systems’ model.” The report stated that it was surprised by the situation in Hong Kong. For many years, although Hong Kong cannot be called a democratic region, it has maintained a high degree of freedom. However, in recent years, the score began to drop sharply, which reflects the increasing interference of the CCP in Hong Kong. It criticized the CCP’s violation of Hong Kong’s freedom.

Given the ongoing attacks on Hong Kong’s freedoms, the report added, “we will be surprised if future reports do not show a continuing and pronounced degradation in the territory’s ratings, including a noticeable decline in economic freedom.”

China Ranks 152, Down 2 Places

China ranks 152 out of 165 countries and regions in the index, down two places from 2021. For their overall score, China dropped 35 places between 2000 and 2020. It ranks 154th in personal freedom and 116th in economic freedom.