Fraser Institute Gets Mixed Response From Government

The SAR government has welcomed the Fraser Institute once again ranking Hong Kong as the world's freest economy in its Economic Freedom of the World 2020 Annual Report, though it went on to criticise the Canadian public policy think-tank's decision to predict lower scores for the SAR in future because of concerns about the rule of law.

"This is an unambiguous recognition of Hong Kong's long-standing and steadfast commitment to building a free economy with a level playing field," a government spokesman said.

The government said the rule of law was a fundamental core value of Hong Kong and much cherished by the community.

"It is with regret that Fraser Institute pre-empts lower future scores in this area with biased comments and unfair speculations based on selective ungrounded views," it said.

Hong Kong has gained the top rank since the inception of the report.