Grenville Cross, Former Director of Public Prosecutions of HKSAR, has criticised former Morgan Stanley Asia chairman Stephen Roach over his recent claim that "Hong Kong of Old is over", saying Roach's remarks deliberately undermine the city and lack basic fact-checking.
In an interview with Ta Kung Wen Wei Media and DotDotNews, Cross said Roach's comments were aimed at smearing HK and attracting attention, adding that his statements were "not credible".
Responding to Roach's column last month, in which the economist claimed that "Hong Kong of Old is over" and that the city had lost its so-called uniqueness, Cross said only those unaware of HK's unique position as the country's only common law jurisdiction and a gateway connecting the country with the wider world could make such an "absurd" conclusion.
Addressing what he described as Roach's distortion of HK's institutional advantages, Cross said Roach's bias had already been reflected in his previous remarks after the social unrest in 2019 and 2020, when he described the enactment of the National Security Law as an alleged "hostile takeover".
Cross said Roach had attempted to make people believe that HK's rule of law had been "seriously damaged", describing it as an ineffective attempt to undermine business confidence in the city.
He stressed that the National Security Law successfully brought months of unrest to an end and restored normality to society. The law, he said, was not "hostile" but ensured the continuation of the "one country, two systems" principle and served as a "saviour" for HK.
Cross reiterated that HK's rule of law had not been "seriously damaged" but remained vibrant. He said Roach had ignored the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index 2025 report released last October, which ranked HK 24th among 143 countries and regions worldwide, ahead of the US, which ranked 27th.
Responding to Roach's use of the resignation of six overseas non-permanent judges of Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal to support his argument, Cross cited the example of former judge Lawrence Collins, saying that if Roach had conducted research before making his claims, he would have known that the British government had placed significant pressure on British judges, forcing some to withdraw from the Court of Final Appeal.
Cross added that some judges continue to serve despite pressure and have carried out their duties effectively at the Court of Final Appeal. He said that if Roach's accusations had any truth, these judges would not have chosen to join the court.
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