Washington Post loses its credibility

The Washington Post is in no position to cast stones at Hong Kong. While the almighty USA is in tatters with its leader Donald Trump sending the national guard to restore law and order in key cities, the Post maintains Hong Kong “is no longer an open, freewheeling city it once was.”

The paper’s editorial board posted on September 19 that investors were staying away from Hong Kong, journalists were being routinely denied entry visas, and western tourists were advised not to travel to the city or face arbitrary arrest under the national security law.

Scary stuff from the country’s foremost newspaper that carries tremendous clout in the corridors of power. But it’s all untrue, fake news. It may still be an authoritative newspaper in the eyes of a naive local population, but to the international community it has lost all credibility.

In the latest World Population Review, Hong Kong was placed fourth in the world for net inflows of foreign investments. It is estimated that the total foreign investment in 2024 brought to Hong Kong's economy exceeds more than HK$67.7 billion, which also represents a record high and a nearly 10 per cent increase compared to 2023. These companies expected to create 6,864 job opportunities in Hong Kong during their first year of operation, an over 67 per cent increase compared to 2023. That’s hardly investors staying away as claimed by the Post.

The Post complained about journalists being routinely denied visas to Hong Kong. There was only one case this year and another in 2018. And the reasons could be multiple, including having a criminal record, reporting that incites hatred etc. One case this year does not imply “routinely denied.” Hong Kong enjoys being host to about 70 foreign news organizations with Bloomberg alone employing several hundred manning its financial and news desks. In the almighty US, all media covering the Pentagon for example – local and foreign – must submit all articles to the newly named Department of War for approval before publication. So much for freedom of the press and expression with the media continualy being harassed by the president and his cronies.
The focus of the Post’s editorial was Jimmy Lai and the national security law.

It claimed that Lai was facing “manufactured charges of sedition” and that it was “a foregone conclusion that he’ll be found guilty.” How dare they suggest that Hong Kong “manufactures” criminal charges. The Post has made a groundless accusation without providing any evidence. Obviously, it has not done its homework, nor checked its facts, a prerequisite of any publication, especially when an editorial board of the Post’s reputation is headed by extremely experienced journalists. It’s unfathomable.

Hong Kong is a fair and just city. According to the 2024 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, Hong Kong ranked sixth in East Asia and the Pacific and was placed 23rd out of 142 countries and jurisdictions globally. The almighty US was three points lower at 26. In other words, Hong Kong is better placed in maintaining the rule of law than the US.

And, according to the Post it’s a “foregone conclusion [Jimmy Lai] will be found guilty.” Again, how dare they. In Hong Kong a person is innocent until found guilty. It is not a “foregone conclusion.” The Jimmy Lai trial for sedition and colluding with foreign forces lasted for 156 days during which ample evidence for and against was presented to a panel of three judges. They are currently weighing up that evidence and will present their findings in due course. Only then will Lai and the public know his fate. There is no “foregone conclusion.” By making this statement, the Post’s editorial board is accusing the Hong Kong courts of bias. They owe the Hong Kong judiciary an apology for the accusation.

The paper concluded its editorial that it was up to “China’s communist rulers in Beijing” to decide if Lai is to be ever released from jail. Poppycock! The trial of Jimmy Lai has nothing to do with Beijing, as implied by the Post. Lai was arrested in Hong Kong, charged for alleged crimes committed in Hong Kong, and tried in Hong Kong.

It is a pity that an upstanding publication such as the Washington Post should tarnish its reputation by publishing a story with such bias that is harmful to Hong Kong without checking the facts.

Mark Pinkstone

** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **

Hong Kong is facing a dilemma as more locals are spending their dollars outside of the city than what the visitors are bringing in.

Relaxed visa/permit restrictions for locals and foreign residents alike is making it easier for travel to the mainland while inbound traffic crossing the boundary is low budget and spending less on accommodation and food.

Tourism is an important pillar for Hong Kong’s economy. In pre-COVID times, tourism accounted for about four per cent of the territory’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provided for about six per cent of total employment.

In Hong Kong’s heydays, the city saw about 65 million tourists in 2018, of which 51 million came from the mainland. It was boom time for retailers and restaurants. Long queues of mainland shoppers would line the streets along Canton Road and elsewhere waiting to buy luxury items from Gucci, Prada, Tiffany’s and other high-end stores which set up shop in Hong Kong to tap this lucrative market.

Today many restaurants and retail outlets are closing down, especially in the boundary towns of Sheung Shui and Yuen Long. The market is no longer there, and high rental costs make it almost impossible to survive.

During the 2025/2026 festive season, Hong Kong saw a 25.6 per cent rise in inbound trips on New Year’s Day 2026 (664,338 trips), but this was still countered by a massive 515,954 outbound exits on the same day.

Winston Yeung, chair of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants & Related Trades, told local media that business was sluggish during the Christmas holiday, with some restaurant owners calling it “the slowest business at Christmas over the past 10 years.”

Unfortunately, the local market is not propping up the tourism outlets. Instead, the locals are traveling in large numbers to Shenzhen and Macau and other parts of China for day trips or extended holidays, thereby providing a leakage in the local economy.

While Hong Kong received more than an estimated 45 million visitors last year, more than about 100 million departures were recorded by the Immigration Department of locals leaving Hong Kong by plane, train or bus mainly to the mainland (75 per cent), and to other major Asian destinations.

Hong Kong has 320 hotels offering 92,907 rooms, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Despite mainlanders’ choice of more budget accommodation, occupancy rates for the hotel industry remained high at 88 per cent last year. The major hotels are not affected by the change in mainlanders’ preferences as they rely more on the affluent international tourist, visiting Hong Kong for business, conventions or holidays.

Property developer, Caldwell Banker Richard Ellis (CBRE) says Hong Kong’s hospitality market currently presents various investment-ready assets including rare investment opportunities for upper upscale and luxury hotels. These high-end properties are particularly attractive due to their resilience, as they are less reliant on Chinese group travelers and enjoy sustained spending power among affluent individual travelers and international visitors. This makes them attractive for investors seeking stable returns in a dynamic market.

To encourage locals to spend more at home and at the same time provide a bonus for tourists, Hong Kong has organised a series of mega events, many held in the new sports stadium on the site of the old Kai Tak airport in Kowloon. Traditional events in 2026 will include the French May Arts festival in March, Hong Kong Book Fair in July, Hong Kong performing Arts Expo in October, the World Snooker Grand Prix in February, and, of course, the international dragon boat races in June.

Blockbusters will include BlackPink World tour in January, the Hong Kong marathon, which draws in runners and their supports from around the world, and the Hong Kong Tennis Open also in January.

That is good for the inbound and outbound tourists alike. But more needs to be done to tip the tourism scales to a surplus for Hong Kong’s economy to grow at a faster pace. As the saying goes charity starts at home, so it is up to us as local residents who have reaped the benefits of the city to spend more in local restaurants and retail outlets than spend it elsewhere. Support local enterprises. After all, the restaurants in Hong Kong are ranked among the best in the world and are tax free as against a value-added tax applied to restaurants and shops in the mainland.