For years, a US passport was the gold standard. Not anymore.
The Henley Passport Index—the gold standard ranking compiled by British immigration consultancy Henley & Partners—just dropped its latest scorecard. And the numbers tell a brutal story: America's passport has slipped to 10th place globally.
Sounds respectable, right? Wrong. Because of tied rankings, 37 countries and regions actually sit above the US. Compared to a decade ago when America dominated the top three spots, this is a freefall.
US passport drops below 37 countries—Trump's bullying backfires as ranking plunges from top three.
China, meanwhile, tells the opposite story. Its passport has rocketed from 94th place in 2015 to 59th in the latest rankings—a 35-position surge in just ten years. And Hong Kong's SAR passport? It climbed to 15th place, its highest ranking since 2014.
Why the US passport declines? Simple. America has been playing the bully. Washington has tightened visa requirements for other countries while slashing reciprocal agreements. Then there's Trump's big-stick diplomacy—swinging wildly, making enemies everywhere. Several countries have already revoked visa-free access for Americans. Brazil is just one example.
The American passport now grants visa-free access to 179 destinations. That's 13 fewer than Singapore, which holds the top spot. In other words, that blue booklet doesn't guarantee smooth sailing anymore.
Dr. Christian Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners, nailed it when analyzing last year's US decline: "Nations that embrace openness and cooperation are surging ahead, while those resting on past privilege are being left behind." He didn't name names. He didn't have to.
China's Strategic Opening
China is clearly one of those countries "embracing openness and cooperation" that Kaelin mentioned. With 139 visa-free destinations, China's passport now ranks 59th globally—up from 94th in 2015. That's a 35-position leap in ten years.
The reason? Beijing extends the hand of friendship everywhere. Last year alone, China granted visa-free entry to 30 additional countries. Given the principle of reciprocity, it's no surprise that visa-free destinations for Chinese passport holders have multiplied dramatically.
Hong Kong's Impressive Climb
The Hong Kong SAR passport's performance is equally striking. It jumped from 18th place last year to 15th this January—its highest ranking since 2014. With over 170 visa-free destinations compared to America's 179, Hong Kong trails by just a handful of spots.
Hong Kong SAR passport hits 15th place—highest since 2014—and closing fast on the US.
And catching up isn't out of reach. Beijing actively cultivates friendships through foreign policy and has paved the bright path of the Belt and Road Initiative. Riding this tailwind, Hong Kong is developing economic, trade, and financial relationships with countries along the route. More nations will likely grant visa-free access to SAR passports as these ties deepen. If that happens, Hong Kong's ranking could climb several more positions.
The British Passport Isn't Faring Better
Here's an irony worth noting: Many Hong Kong people who emigrated to the UK are desperately seeking British citizenship. Yet the British passport is also sliding in global rankings—falling from 6th place two years ago to 8th, with eight fewer visa-free destinations year-over-year. Its "gold content" is clearly decreasing, and the gap with Hong Kong SAR passports is narrowing fast.
Don't underestimate what these passport rankings reveal. America's deteriorating status reflects more than weakening "soft power"—it's the direct consequence of Trump's unjust actions and bullying behavior. When you offend people everywhere, eventually there's a price to pay.
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. **
The most consequential national security trial yet to come is also the one with the most unanswered questions — and at the centre of it is a man who almost made it out.
Monday (Feb 23) was "Renri" (人日) — the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, meant to be a day of celebration for all people. But for the 12 defendants in the "35+ Subversion Case," there was nothing to celebrate. The Court of Appeal dismissed all their appeals against both conviction and sentencing in full. Unless they push it all the way to the Court of Final Appeal, this case is done. That brings two of the three major national security cases to a close — the other being the Jimmy Lai trial. What remains is the Joshua Wong case, expected to go to trial around mid-year. Like Lai's, it reaches into the highest levels of American politics, and it will almost certainly expose a trove of behind-the-scenes dealings that will shake Hong Kong to its core. The trial is close enough that the details don't need spelling out here. But one mystery absolutely does: Wong was once Washington's darling — so why did he never make it out, while his co-conspirator Nathan Law did? An investigative report by American journalists cracked open the story.
Wong's trial is the last big national security case standing — and the most explosive one yet. How did he never make it out?
Wong's role in the Occupy Central movement and the 2019 unrest needs no introduction. In June last year, while already serving a prison term at Stanley Prison on sedition charges, he was arrested again and charged under the Hong Kong National Security Law with conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security. His second pre-trial review at the Magistrates' Court came on 21 November last year, with the next hearing set for 6 March; the full trial at the High Court is expected to begin around mid-year. This case carries weight every bit as significant as the Jimmy Lai trial — the spotlight it commands will be enormous.
The Charges Are Grave
The prosecution alleges that between July and November 2020, Wong — together with Nathan Law and others yet to be identified — conspired in Hong Kong to solicit foreign governments and institutions to impose sanctions against the Hong Kong SAR and the People's Republic of China, and to seriously obstruct the government in enacting and enforcing its laws and policies. The charges carry a potential sentence of life imprisonment. What exactly Wong and Law did, and which foreign officials were involved, the prosecution will lay out in full when the trial begins.
The public has long asked some uncomfortable questions. Did Joshua Wong ever consider fleeing before or after the National Security Law came into force at the end of June 2020? If so, why did it never happen? Did the US government try to help him get out? An investigative report by two American journalists answered part of the puzzle — and sources familiar with the matter, when contacted by Hong Kong media, broadly confirmed what it said.
Wong Begged Washington for Help
The night before the National Security Law took effect, Wong reached out through a senator's adviser to appeal directly to President Trump for help. At the same time, he sent an email to then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, explicitly asking to be helped to "travel to the United States to seek political asylum, by whatever means necessary". That email tells you everything. Wong knew exactly how dangerous his situation had become — and he was betting his future on American goodwill.
Around the same time, Wong arranged to meet two officials from the US Consulate General in Hong Kong at St. John's Building, directly across the street from the consulate. He made clear he wanted to walk in and seek refuge. He was turned away on the spot. When Pompeo saw the email, he consulted with his staff and arrived at the same conclusion: letting Wong through the consulate doors was simply not an option — Washington feared Beijing would retaliate by forcing the US consulate in Hong Kong to close entirely.
State Department officials went further, exploring a covert plan to smuggle Wong out of Hong Kong by sea — routing him through Taiwan or the Philippines before eventually reaching the United States. That option was killed too, on the grounds that any such attempt would very likely be intercepted by Chinese authorities, triggering a diplomatic crisis. When the accounting was done, American interests won out — and Joshua Wong was coldly abandoned.
By that point, Nathan Law had already made it out. Seizing Pompeo's visit to London, Law met the Secretary of State privately and raised the question of rescuing Wong one more time — and was once again turned away without sympathy. In September 2020, Wong was arrested on sedition charges and imprisoned two months later. Any remaining window for escape had sealed shut.
Law Moved Fast — and Made It
Nathan Law is named as a co-conspirator in the charges against Wong — meaning that if arrested, they face the same jeopardy. But Law proved far more calculating than Wong. Shortly before the National Security Law took effect, he quietly slipped away, eventually confirming his presence in the United Kingdom on 13 July 2020. He even staged a moment of wistful sentiment, declaring: "With this parting, I do not yet know when I shall return... May glory come soon!" — words that, in the circumstances, could not have sounded more hollow.
Same charges, same case — but Law ran, and Wong didn't. One man made it out clean. The other is still paying the price.
Joshua Wong — sharp-witted all his life — took one step too many in trusting the Americans, and that delay cost him everything. The US government, in the name of "national interest," discarded him without hesitation. As his trial approaches, the reality is this: placing any further faith in American support would be the last illusion he can afford.
Lai Ting-yiu
