Mayor Daniel Lurie is in China. That much we know. What exactly he's doing there, who he's meeting with, and what deals might be on the table? That's where things get murky — because the mayor's office apparently isn't keen on sharing details.

Look, we're not reflexively cynical here. There are perfectly legitimate reasons for a San Francisco mayor to visit China. The city has deep cultural and economic ties to the country. Chinese tourism to the Bay Area cratered during the pandemic and has been painfully slow to recover. As one SF resident put it, "One of our major holes in tourism right now is from China and Asia. Anything we can do to encourage that tourism tap to be turned back on post-pandemic is a good thing." Fair point.

And sure, business trips often involve sensitive conversations that don't lend themselves to play-by-play press releases. Another local noted that "business meetings always remain secret" and that Chinese consumers who are currently boycotting Japan might be redirected toward San Francisco's luxury retail and hospitality sectors. That's not nothing — downtown could use the foot traffic.

But here's where our libertarian alarm bells start ringing: when an elected official spends taxpayer time and possibly taxpayer money on an international trip and then essentially says "don't worry about it," that's a transparency problem. You work for us, Mr. Mayor. The public doesn't need a minute-by-minute itinerary, but we deserve a clear explanation of the trip's purpose, who's footing the bill, and what measurable outcomes San Francisco should expect in return.

This is Governance 101 stuff. You want to court Chinese investment and tourism? Great — make the case publicly. Explain the strategy. Set benchmarks. Let taxpayers evaluate whether their mayor is conducting smart economic diplomacy or just enjoying a junket on their dime.

The secrecy isn't just unnecessary — it's counterproductive. It turns what could be a straightforward goodwill story into a credibility problem. Transparency isn't the enemy of good dealmaking. It's the price of holding public office.

We hope it's a productive trip. We just wish the mayor trusted San Franciscans enough to tell us about it.