The Chief Executive urges everyone to tell positive stories about Hong Kong, and it’s not hard to do. For example, the city’s IPO ranking as “world number one” is well-known and widely reported by foreign media. Recently, a global ranking where Hong Kong shines brilliantly again has emerged, but few have noticed it—this deserves more spotlight.
Gallup’s latest “2025 Global Safety Report” just published, and Hong Kong is shining bright at number six, way ahead of the UK and the US. China steals the spotlight even more, ranking third globally, beating out many Western countries.
Personal Safety: More Than Just a Feeling
Gallup’s “2025 Global Safety Report” makes it clear: Hong Kong is a shining example of public safety and solid law enforcement, outclassing the UK and US by a wide margin.
This survey tapped into the feelings of 145,000 people from 144 countries, asking them if they felt safe walking alone at night. Hong Kong scored a solid 91%, neck-and-neck with Norway, while China hit even higher at 94%. Japan, Hong Kong people’s favorite tourist destination, is ranked 24 behind Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the US is stuck at 61st with only 58% of women feeling safe on the streets. The UK trails at 42nd.
Chinese Mainland’s high safety ranking proves that its law and order are superior than the western countries.
Hong Kong’s high ranking is impressive compared to Western countries plagued by rising street crime. The UK comes in at 42nd, with frequent street theft and violent attacks leading to low conviction rates—hardly the kind of environment that breeds safety confidence. In the US, some cities have become so dangerous they’re labeled “crime hotspots.” It’s no surprise that less than 60% of women feel safe walking alone.
The Reality Gap
This survey also comes up with a “Law and Order Index” that combines theft and robbery rates, population ratios, and trust in policing. Tajikistan and Singapore lead, with China in the fourth place. Hong Kong and Taiwan are tied at 18th, while the UK and US lag at 46th, alongside India. These results sharply contradict political voices and foreign media that try to smear Hong Kong’s legal system.
Independent Data Supports the Narrative
It’s not just Gallup. The global database Numbeo’s “2025 World’s Safest Countries Ranking” has Taiwan at fourth, Hong Kong seventh, and China fifteenth. The US and UK are way further down at 89th and 87th, respectively. This ranking is often used by travelers to gauge security risks, putting Western destinations under the microscope.
Quick Police Action Makes a Difference
These top safety rankings for Hong Kong reflect years of hard work by law enforcement agencies. Police here crack street crime cases swiftly, unlike in the UK, where some theft rings take over a year to solve.
The sense of security today sharply contrasts with the one we experienced in 2019 when black-clad rioters roamed freely, spreading fear and stripping away any notion of safety on the streets. The current strong feeling of safety among nighttime pedestrians is a welcome turnaround—and one we hope lasts.
Lai Ting-yiu
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** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
Today, December 7, marks the second election since the Legislative Council finally got back on track. Today, I can’t shake the memory of how a "deformed democracy" ravaged this chamber for years. It was a malignancy—a tumor growing from within—that trapped us in endless chaos and nearly destroyed Hong Kong. This nightmare remains burned into my mind.
Let’s look at the receipts from those insane years. Three absurd realities prove how a tidal wave of radicalism washed away a functioning Council. First, post-"Occupy Central," a crop of "political stars" rode a wave of extremism to besiege LegCo, degrading election quality for years. Second, during the "Black Violence" era, District Councils devolved into a "destroyers' paradise" of unprecedented disorder. Third, to appease radical voters, Pan-democrats hijacked the House Committee election for six months, paralyzing governance. The Council became an endangered structure on the verge of collapse, dragging government operations down with it. Without the Central Government stepping in to restore order, Hong Kong was finished. To stop history from repeating, everyone needs to vote on December 7.
The truth is, this "deformed democracy" was rotting the soil of Hong Kong politics long before "Occupy Central." The British government deliberately planted "election landmines," allowing politicians using unorthodox methods to rise. They realized the game: be radical, be outrageous, be uncouth, and you get votes. Figures like Wong Yuk-man, Albert Chan, and "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung seized power this way. Once that door opened, the Council’s normal operations were destroyed, turning the chamber into a mud-wrestling pit.
That was just the prelude. The subversion peaked with the 6th Legislative Council election following the 2014 "Occupy Central" movement. Driven by a passion for "rebellion," masses of young people blindly voted for fresh faces who built their brands on radicalism, ignoring their complete lack of ability or track record. The result? First-time winners included "Localist" figures dripping with "Hong Kong Independence" sentiment like Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching, alongside "Occupy" student leader Nathan Law.
Oath-Taking Circus: Post-"Occupy" radicals Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching stormed the chamber advocating independence, turning solemn oaths into a disgraceful farce.
The "Open House" of Radical Chaos
Worse still, opportunists within the Pan-democrat camp saw this worked and jumped into the fray. The prime examples were the notoriously "uncouth and aggressive" Ted Hui and the self-proclaimed radical environmentalist Eddie Chu.
When Baggio Leung, Yau Wai-ching, and Nathan Law stormed the Council, political insiders told me the candidacy door had been flung too wide. It became an "unguarded open house"—easy to enter, hard to clear out—guaranteeing chaos. Fortunately, their greed for victory blinded them to the risks. They played games with their inaugural oaths, effectively playing themselves into a corner and getting disqualified (DQ).
Even after they were ousted, the "miracle" of their election accelerated the degradation of our politics. Fanatical voters continued to back incompetent politicians just to vent rebellious angst. Even younger members of the traditional Pan-democrats started acting out to cater to this new taste. Ted Hui is the textbook example: violently snatching a female civil servant's phone and throwing foul-smelling filth in the Chamber. It became a competition of who could be the most radical, obstructing bills and making livelihood administration nearly impossible.
By 2019, when the anti-extradition bill unrest broke out, the Council became a disaster zone. Then came the second absurdity. During the November District Council elections, held amidst turmoil, radical candidates swarmed to grab seats. At the same time, "black-clad people" physically attacked Establishment opponents with beatings, arson, and intimidation. They won the majority, reducing the District Councils to a "destroyers' paradise." Long-serving community councilors were wiped out, marking an unprecedented and unbearable degradation of our institutions.
Filth in the Chamber: "Uncouth" politician Ted Hui proved his disruptive intent by literally throwing foul-smelling rot during a Council meeting.
Paralyzing the System From Within
Inside LegCo, Pan-democrats brought the street riots into the Chamber, competing to perform "radical shows." The most absurd spectacle was Civic Party member Dennis Kwok holding the House Committee Chairman election hostage. He "played games" for over half a year. Sixteen meetings passed without electing a chairman, blocking massive amounts of government bills. Forced by the situation, even moderate Pan-democrats joined the madness, turning the Chamber into a real-life version of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."
Recently, some claim the reformed Legislative Council has lost its monitoring function. This is 100% a fallacy. The Council back then was thoroughly wrecked; normal operations were paralyzed. What monitoring was there? Government administration was dragged down, pushing us to the brink of "mutual destruction" (laam caau).
Thankfully, the Central Government stepped in at the critical moment to pull the Council back on the right track. If "deformed democracy" had continued, Hong Kong would have derailed and fallen off a cliff, destroyed in a single day.
To prevent this painful history from repeating, everyone must vote enthusiastically on December 7. Support the Legislative Council moving forward on the correct track.
Lai Ting-yiu
