Trump's back in the White House, and he's doing what he does best: swinging the tariff stick around like a weapon, bullying anyone in his path, and making enemies left and right. The world's had enough. And now we're seeing the consequences play out in real time — America's once-dominant soft power is crumbling.
Case in point is the latest global passport rankings. The US passport has dropped clean out of the top 10, landing at the 12th place. That's a 12-spot plunge from where it sat a decade ago when it held the number one position. You can call it what you want, but "freefall" seems about right.
The reason: more and more countries are pulling visa-free access for American passport holders. Meanwhile, as the West stumbles, the East rises. China's passport ranking keeps climbing. Hong Kong's SAR passport also moved up one spot from last year. A friend who works in immigration told me we can expect even more countries to grant visa-free access to SAR passports soon. The rankings could climb higher still — closing the gap with the US and UK.
The US passport has crashed to the12th place in the latest global rankings. Those glory days at number one? Long gone. This is what declining soft power looks like.
When Number One Becomes Number Twelve
Every year, London-based immigration consultancy Henley & Partners releases its "Global Passport Index," ranking passports by their "power" — essentially, how many countries you can enter visa-free.
According to the latest ranking just published, the US passport sits at the 12th place, officially out of the top 10. Sure, countries move up and down all the time. But America's drop is particularly striking. Ten years ago, it held the top spot. For years, it stayed near the top. Who would've thought it'd ever sink below the 10th place?
Experts point to a major factor: in recent years, the US government has tightened its immigration policies, and the number of countries offering reciprocal visa agreements hasn't increased — it's decreased. Right now, US passport holders have visa-free access to 180 destinations. That's 13 fewer than Singapore, which holds the first place.
Trump's recent tariff wars have burned bridges everywhere. He's alienated nation after nation, and the result is predictable: countries that once offered visa-free access to Americans are quietly pulling back. Take Brazil, for example. Fed up with Trump's relentless bullying, Brazil revoked its visa-free arrangement in April this year. It's clear as day — the US passport's declining ranking is directly tied to Trump's behavior.
China, by contrast, has been busy signing visa-free agreements with more countries — across Europe, the Middle East, and South America. China's passport now ranks 64th, up from 94th a decade ago. The correlation with rising national power couldn't be clearer.
A Shift in Global Soft Power
Christian Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners and creator of this passport ranking system, put it perfectly: "The declining strength of the US passport over the past decade is more than just a reshuffle in rankings — it signals a fundamental shift in global mobility and soft power dynamics. Nations that embrace openness and cooperation are surging ahead, while those resting on past privilege are being left behind." He didn't name names. But everyone knows exactly who he's talking about.
The UK passport hasn't fared much better. Its latest ranking? Eighth place, down from sixth. It once held the top spot back in 2015, but those glory days are over. The decline started a few years ago. Since Brexit, the UK passport's convenience within Europe has taken a hit — it's not what it used to be.
Hong Kong's SAR passport, on the other hand, performed well in this ranking. It moved up one level from last year to 18th place — just 6 positions behind the US.
Hong Kong's Passport on the Rise
A friend who knows immigration affairs well told me Hong Kong's passport ranking has been quite solid in recent years, with minimal fluctuation. Whether it can climb higher depends on China's diplomatic development and whether the Hong Kong government can secure visa-free treatment from more countries.
Recently, Hong Kong has been aggressively developing economic and trade ties with Belt and Road countries, including those in the Middle East and Central Asia. There's a strong chance these countries will grant visa-free access to SAR passports. If that happens, Hong Kong's passport ranking could climb even higher.
Hong Kong's SAR passport climbed another spot to the18th place — and with more Belt and Road nations granting visa-free access, it's only going higher. Catching up to America? Not as far-fetched as it sounds.
So the idea of Hong Kong's SAR passport catching up to the US in rankings? Not so far-fetched after all. Trump, blinded by his own arrogance, keeps making blunder after blunder, undermining America's soft power bit by bit. And that's creating an opening — for China and Hong Kong SAR to accelerate and catch up.
What Say You?
What Say You?
** 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
