美國智庫傳統基金會日前共同發布的2009年“全球經濟自由度指數”顯示，香港仍是世界上最自由的經濟體。自第一屆指數編排開始，香港便一直處于全球最自由經濟體排名榜首位，今年已是第15次蟬聯冠軍，新加坡名列第二，緊隨其后的分別是澳大利亞、愛爾蘭和新西蘭。全球經濟自由度指數主要依照商業自由度、貿易自由度、財政自由度、投資自由度、產權等十大指標，對納入考察的179個全球經濟體進行評價，今年的指數統計截至2008年6月，因此并未反映去年下半年以來全球各國政府針對金融海嘯所采取的措施。

Hong Kong has been named the world's freest economy for the 15th year in a row, according to an annual report released Tuesday by the conservative Heritage Foundation.

Hong Kong has been named the world's freest economy for the 15th year in a row, according to an annual report released Tuesday by the conservative Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal that warns against government intervention amid the global economic crisis.

The Chinese territory, known for its low taxes and looser regulations, was followed by Singapore, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, according to this year's Index of Economic Freedom.

European countries again accounted for half of the top 20 economies considered free or mostly free, with Switzerland at No. 9 and the U.K. at No. 10.

However, the U.S. slid one notch to sixth place, dinged for increased government spending and tax revenue as a percentage of gross domestic product, one of the survey's authors said.

Ranking at the bottom was North Korea, followed by next-to-last Zimbabwe, Cuba, Myanmar and Eritrea. The southern African country, whose economy is in meltdown after years of state-endorsed violence and business controls, posted the biggest drop in this year's report.

The survey, which gauges 179 countries on 10 economic factors like trade barriers, property rights, taxes and market regulations, covers the year ending in June 2008, before the global meltdown led governments around the world to bailout financial institutions.

While free-market policies have been widely criticized for precipitating the current global financial and economic crisis, the report's authors defended free capitalist systems and argued against massive government as a threat to growth.

"Yes, there may be temporary ups and down, but in the long run more economic freedom leads to more wealth for more people than any other system," Edwin Feulner, president of Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based think tank, told reporters in Hong Kong.

"There is no escaping the fact that the freer the economy the more it flourishes," he said.

While Hong Kong has long been seen as a shining example of free-market capitalism, much of its economy is controlled by a small group of tycoons and cartels.

Government regulators, meanwhile, have been criticized in recent months for not doing more to protect local investors who bought Lehman Brothers-backed products that are likely worthless in the aftermath of the Wall Street firm's collapse.

(Agencies)

（英語點津 Helen 編輯）