When the Hong Kong SAR National Security Law was enacted by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee in 2020, the Five Eyes partners reacted with fury. Although the law was designed to save the “one country, two systems” policy after an insurrection that sought its destruction, the Five Eyes vented their anger on the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. As the black-clad violence had failed to wreck the city and undermine China, they decided to try other means of achieving those objectives.

The Five Eyes revoked trading preferences for the SAR, canceled collaborative projects, and suspended fugitive-surrender agreements. They also tried to discourage people from visiting the SAR, knowing this would be economically devastating for an international city with a vibrant tourism industry.

A series of hostile travel advisories were issued, some harsher than others. Whereas, for example, the United States warned travelers of the “arbitrary enforcement of local laws”, the United Kingdom alerted its nationals to “the risk of arbitrary detention”.  

To its eternal shame, Australia went even further. It warned people that they might unintentionally break the law if they visited Hong Kong and could face “possible transfer to mainland China for prosecution”. As if this was not bad enough, the city’s sizable Australian community (numbering approximately 100,000) was urged to “reconsider your need to remain in Hong Kong”.

Over six years later, the SAR is once again walking tall. Peace and stability have been restored, and the NSL has more than proved its worth. The SAR’s criminal justice system was highly rated by the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index in 2025 (24th out of the 143 jurisdictions surveyed), and the standing of its Judiciary in the Asia-Pacific region is second to none. Moreover, no foreign visitors (and no residents) have been transferred to the mainland for prosecution.

In other words, all the fears the Five Eyes whipped up in 2020 have proved illusory. However, they have not repented; far from it. For example, the US currently advises its citizens to “exercise increased caution” if visiting Hong Kong. However, as previously, nobody is more determined to put the boot into the SAR than Australia.

In its latest travel advisory (July 30), Canberra advised its citizens to “exercise a high degree of caution in Hong Kong”, warning of its “strict laws on national security”. They could “be detained without charge and be denied access to a lawyer”.

Scare tactics of this type beggar belief, and owe nothing to reality. Hong Kong is an advanced common-law jurisdiction where individual rights are protected by the Basic Law and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and enforced by an independent Judiciary. It is the height of hypocrisy for Australia, whose draconian national security legislation has, for example, been ruthlessly deployed against individuals sympathetic to China, to impugn Hong Kong’s rule of law credentials. Moreover, unlike Hong Kong (via its Bill of Rights) Canberra has still not domesticated the ICCPR, meaning it is not directly enforceable in local courts.

However, the good news is that nobody is listening to Canberra or the Five Eyes.

Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that low tax rates, a strong market for initial public offerings, and auspicious employment prospects had led to a surge of white-collar expatriates coming to Hong Kong. The SAR granted 31,278 work visas to foreign nationals last year, more than double the number five years ago. They were mainly from Japan, South Korea and the UK, with the number of foreign visas for the financial services industry jumping by 17 percent (a new high since 2022).  

According to the financial services legislator, Robert Lee Wai-wang, the upward trend is linked to Hong Kong’s expanding role in capital markets, fund development, and family offices. He said those arriving ranged from first-timers and overseas Chinese to professionals relocating from the Middle East and those returning after years abroad, with many bringing their families.

Hong Kong is not only back in business after the insurrection and the COVID-19 pandemic, but punching well above its weight

Over the past three years, moreover, there have been over 410,000 approved talent program admissions under the SAR government’s seven talent admission programs for skilled workers from elsewhere to work and reside in the city (with almost 75 percent coming from the mainland).

Moreover, Hong Kong welcomed 4.5 million visitors in July, up 3 percent compared to 2025. International conventions and exhibitions boosted business travel. Non-mainland visitor arrivals reached approximately 897,000 (a 2 percent year-over-year increase).

In the second half of the year, the “flagship mega events”, including the Hong Kong Cyclothon, Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival, Hong Kong WinterFest and Hong Kong New Year Countdown Celebrations, are expected to attract over 1.85 million visitors to the SAR.

It should, therefore, surprise no one that Hong Kong has now, despite the Five Eyes, become the world’s second-most-visited city for international arrivals after Bangkok.

It is hard to imagine a greater rebuttal of the scare stories the Five Eyes have propagated about the SAR since 2020. Hong Kong is not only back in business after the insurrection and the COVID-19 pandemic, but punching well above its weight. For the sake of their credibility, it must be hoped that at some point the Five Eyes will stop living in cloud cuckoo land.

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.