Hong Kong remains high in global rule of law ranking

24/10/2024 6:18

        A spokesperson for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said on Wednesday that Hong Kong remained high in the overall ranking in the 2024 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index and continued to be ahead of some European and American countries.
        According to the index, which was released on Wednesday, Hong Kong ranked 6th in East Asia and the Pacific, and 23rd out of 142 countries and jurisdictions globally. It showed that Hong Kong has maintained a trusted legal system under "one country, two systems," and its rule of law is also widely recognized and respected by the community, the spokesperson said.
        The spokesperson noted that Hong Kong climbed one place in the global rankings in respect of regulatory enforcement and civil justice. In respect of open government, Hong Kong continued to maintain last year's score and global ranking, which clearly demonstrated that Hong Kong has a comprehensive regulatory enforcement mechanism and civil justice system under "one country, two systems."
        The continuous improvements in these areas were conducive to the construction of the rule of law and business environment, which consolidated and enhanced Hong Kong's "eight centers" positioning under the National 14th Five-Year Plan, the spokesperson added.
        According to the index, Hong Kong's score in respect of absence of corruption is higher than last year and ranks 10th globally, showing that Hong Kong remained to be one of the most corruption-free places in the world and that the effectiveness of its anti-corruption efforts has been recognized internationally, the spokesperson said.
        In relation to fundamental rights, order and security and criminal justice, Hong Kong's rankings in East Asia and the Pacific remain almost unchanged, reflecting the successful implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle in Hong Kong, as well as the effectiveness of the national security law in Hong Kong, the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance and other relevant laws of the HKSAR in safeguarding national security and maintaining long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong, the spokesperson said.
        The spokesperson stressed that the HKSAR government will continue to be steadfast in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, as well as fully and faithfully implementing the "one country, two systems" principle and upholding the rule of law in the HKSAR.