Mike Rowse

Opinion | Lunar New Year stall row only boosts critics of Hong Kong’s rule of law

The health of Hong Kong’s rule of law has been in focus lately as city officials try to restore global confidence and revive the economy

Officials denying Democratic Party members a booth at the Lunar New Year fair, even though they bid in a personal capacity and won the auction, undermines these efforts

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Shoppers browse a selection of fruit at a Lunar New Year fair, at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, on January 20. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Mike Rowse

Published: 7:30pm, 4 Dec 2023

References to the “rule of law” have snowballed in recent weeks as Hong Kong officials have sought to relaunch the economy and find new opportunities for growth in the aftermath of the damage from the Covid-19 pandemic.

At a conference organised last month to highlight relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Greater Bay Area, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu emphasised how this aspect of Hong Kong’s business environment would greatly facilitate our role as a superconnector between the two.

At the first meeting of a financial forum a week later under the theme “Hong Kong as a Global City: the Competitive Edge”, Lee extended the scope of the role to the whole of the world, including the entire mainland. At the same event, director of the central government’s liaison office, Zheng Yanxiong, said the superior business environment and comprehensive legal framework would continuously add robust momentum to Hong Kong’s development.

Both men were echoing similar remarks by Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po following his visits to Europe in September and California as representative of Hong Kong at the Apec meeting in October. Chan said financial and business leaders from the UK and France expressed confidence in Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” principle, common law and rule of law.

During the German leg of his tour, which included meeting European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, Chan emphasised one country, two systems, the use of common law and the rule of law as key features of the business environment. It was a similar story with Chan’s meetings with US business leaders.