The single biggest achievement of this year was undoubtedly the enactment of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, gazetted on March 23. It supplemented the Hong Kong National Security Law of 2020 and closed the remaining gaps in the city’s defensive network. It provided Hong Kong with modernized laws, based mainly on foreign models, in espionage, insurrection, sabotage, sedition, treason, and external interference.
In consequence, Hong Kong has finally discharged its constitutional responsibilities under the Basic Law (Art.23). It can no longer be exploited by China’s antagonists, who thought that, despite reunification, they could use Hong Kong’s unique status for purposes inimical to China, including spying and encouraging Beijing hostile elements. Although they have now been disabused of such notions, imagining leopards will change their spots would be a mistake.
Although enacting the national security laws was historic, it was not an end in itself. Foreign threats remain, and Hong Kong must stay vigilant. Espionage will continue more discreetly, and attempts to destabilize the city will still be made, albeit with greater subtlety than previously.
However, if patriotic education is pursued, and public positions are entrusted to people who love Hong Kong and revere the country, any attempts to undermine China by harming Hong Kong will be doomed to failure. This is now generally recognized, and the auguries are encouraging.
It is, for example, particularly reassuring that the rising generation is not only patriotic but also gifted and can hold its own against rivals elsewhere.
Schools, like universities, are now producing students with real promise. For example, in the latest student creative thinking assessment of Pisa 2022 (June 19), conducted every three years by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Hong Kong students’ creative thinking met international standards. A total of 5,907 Hong Kong students from 163 secondary schools participated, with 1,663 taking the creative-thinking assessment.
The creative thinking of 15-year-old students from 64 countries or economies was assessed, and the Hong Kong students achieved a mean score of 32 (the same as their Macao counterparts), on par with the international average of 33. This impressive outcome showed that local students are more than capable of holding their own internationally, something that was far from assured during the social disorders (and before) when gullible minds were often poisoned in the schools, and many youngsters were knocked off track by teachers with political agendas of their own.
As the HKSAR marks its 27th anniversary, its people have every cause to be grateful to the government for its resolve and vision and to the central authorities for their support and encouragement in good times and bad. As Hong Kong contemplates its future, it is now all systems go
The Education Bureau has welcomed the OECD’s assessment and pledged to work with stakeholders to improve local students’ ability to compete internationally.
On June 26, the chief executive, John Lee Ka-chiu, having described the completion of the national security legislation as a “milestone”, indicated that it was now necessary to look at the wider picture. He explained, “We can now focus on improving people’s livelihoods, and Hong Kong will be better,” and the evidence supports his optimism.
On June 20, for example, it was reported, after a survey of 6,181 residents about their home purchase plans, that as many as 36 percent planned to buy a flat in the next year. This was a sign that market confidence had returned after the government axed the housing curbs earlier this year. People feel the time is right to get on the housing ladder, an essential investment in their home city.
Moreover, in the first five months of the year, tourist arrivals surged by 78 percent, and the benefits are now being felt. Although some sectors have faced hardship in recent years, consumption will continue to grow as the aviation, hotel, and catering industries develop their full potential.
Indeed, the signs of recovery are there for all to see, and the push for a “mega-event” economy is laudable.
Every effort is being made to attract international organizations to hold their events in Hong Kong, and it will host up to 210 this year. The Sports Park has 50,000 seats and excellent sporting facilities, so it should be very attractive for the famous performers the government is seeking to bring to Hong Kong.
How overseas legal organizations have responded to Hong Kong’s attractions in 2024 has been particularly encouraging. Whereas, for example, the Presidents of the Law Associations of Asia held their annual conference in Hong Kong in June, the International Conference on Law and Politics will be held here in July. The International Conference on European Law and Public Health will convene in Kowloon in October, while in November, the International Association of Prosecutors will hold its Asia-Pacific Regional Conference at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Therefore, it is clear that global bodies are now electing to come to Hong Kong in very substantial numbers. This is not only because of its inherent attractiveness but also because of their confidence in its vibrancy and safety. Once again, Hong Kong is showing that it is fully capable of competing with its rivals.
Indeed, in the World Competitiveness Ranking 2024, issued on June 18 by the Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD), Hong Kong was rated fifth out of the 67 economies surveyed in the annual ranking of the world’s most competitive economies (up two places over the 2023 ranking).
The IMD, publishing its rankings since 1989, rated Hong Kong’s economic performance at 11th, up from 36th in 2023, while its international trade took the coveted first position.
The IMD also ranked Hong Kong third for governmental efficiency, seventh for business efficiency, and ninth for infrastructure, which was no mean feat.
These findings illustrate how successfully the city has recovered after the pandemic, with the central government’s full support. They also reflect market confidence in Hong Kong and show that governmental efforts to attract tourism, boost consumption, and attract overseas companies, capital, and talent are bearing fruit. The financial secretary, Paul Chan Mo-po, has forecast a full-year economic growth of 2.5 to 3.5 percent, and this will hopefully prove to be a conservative estimate.
If Hong Kong’s application to join the Regional Comprehensive Partnership (RCEP), the world’s biggest free trade pact, is successful this year, it will be a big boost for its economy. However, it is only part of the government’s overall strategy of creating more productive economic ties globally.
The annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit (APEC) will be held in Peru in November, and John Lee will attend. He has already established significant economic links with the Middle East, and APEC will enable him to explore similar ties with Peru and Latin America. The continent represents a largely untapped market for Hong Kong, and Lee will undoubtedly focus on accessing it.
In this increasingly positive environment, nobody should be surprised by the rising levels of satisfaction with the government. Apart from its innovative policies, it also has its finger on the community’s pulse. Thus, for example, it recently suspended its waste-charging program once it became clear people were confused by it and that adjustments were necessary before it could proceed.
A Sing Tao Opinion Poll, published on June 24, showed that nearly 70 percent of Hong Kong people were satisfied with the work of John Lee and his administration. Over 11,800 people participated in the poll, and when asked to assess the two years since John Lee took office on July 1, 2022, nearly 66 percent said they were satisfied with the authorities’ performance. If nothing else, these figures show the government is on the right track and that the community appreciates its endeavors.
Indeed, the latest report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) helps shed light on the rising levels of public satisfaction. In its global liveability list (June 28), the UK-based research group ranked Hong Kong 50th out of the 173 cities surveyed, up 11 places since the last report (the largest jump among the surveyed cities). The survey examined five areas, involving culture, education, environment, healthcare and stability. The EIU said Hong Kong’s jump, which raised its score by 2.1 points to 90.2, was primarily based on its stability and healthcare improvements. By any yardstick, this was a big feather in the government’s cap.
The rollout of the national security laws and the electoral system reform has ensured the survival of the “one country, two systems” governing policy, and John Lee has effectively leveraged them in his quest for a better Hong Kong. Chaos and animosity have been replaced with stability and decency, and prosperity beckons. This is a significant bounceback, and, it is remarkable that it has been achieved so soon after the black-clad violence of 2019-20 and the pandemic of 2020-22.
As the HKSAR marks its 27th anniversary, its people have every cause to be grateful to the government for its resolve and vision and to the central authorities for their support and encouragement in good times and bad. As Hong Kong contemplates its future, it is now all systems go.
The author is a senior counsel and law professor, and was previously the director of public prosecutions of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
