Positive non-interventionism

Positive non-interventionism (Chinese: 積極不干預) was the economic policy of Hong Kong; this policy can be traced back to the time when Hong Kong was under British rule. It was first officially implemented in 1971^{[citation needed]} by Financial Secretary of Hong Kong John Cowperthwaite, who believed that the economy was doing well in the absence of government intervention but that it was important to create the regulatory and physical infrastructure to facilitate market-based decision making. The policy was continued by subsequent Financial Secretaries, including Sir Philip Haddon-Cave. Economist Milton Friedman has cited it as a fairly comprehensive implementation of laissez-faire policy.^[1]

Financial Secretaries Donald Tsang, Antony Leung, Henry Tang and John Tsang all defended the minimal intervention approach.^[2]