The United States Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom 1999 has named Hong Kong as the world's freest economy for the fourth straight year vis-a-vis 155 other economies.

1999 Index of Economic Freedom Rankings

Country	1999	1998	1997	1996
Hong Kong	1	1	1	1
Singapore	2	2	2	2
Bahrain	3	3	3	3
New Zealand	4	4	4	4
Switzerland	5	5	5	5
United States	6	6	6	6
Ireland, Taiwan, United Kingdom	7	7	7	7

Hong Kong is one of the most open, externally-oriented economies in the world. It remains a free port with a free trade policy since 1 July 1997. And it embraces the globalization of international trade and economic activities, with benefits for itself and all those do business here.

Hong Kong coheres firmly to the "Minimum intervention, Maximum support"'s policy
Hong Kong's economy built on free enterprise, free trade, and free market open to all.
Hong Kong enjoys among the world's most liberal and transparent investment policies.
Hong Kong provides a level playing field for foreign and local investors.
Non-discrimination against overseas investors
No foreign exchange controls or restriction on capital flows or repatriation of profits.
No barriers to trade in Hong Kong - no quotas, no exceptions
No customs tariffs imposed on goods imported into Hong Kong.
Free inward or outward foreign investments as there is no restrictive legislation or capital requirements
Hong Kong has a huge trade volume which trails only USA, the EU as a whole, and Japan
Hong Kong's ability to provide enterprises a friendly and easy environment to operate businesses is ranked in the International Institute for Management Development's (IMD) World Competitiveness Yearbook as the third most competitive economy in the world.

The World Competitiveness Scoreboard (Ranking as of April 19, 1998)

Rank	Economies
1	Unites States of America
2	Singapore
3	Hong Kong
4	Netherlands
5	Finland
6	Norway
7	Switzerland
8	Denmark
9	Luxembourg
10	Canada

Source: IMD's World Competitiveness Yearbook