The Financial Times reported on Friday that Victor Mallet, the newspaper's Asia news editor, did not have his work visa renewed by the Hong Kong government without explanation. The newspaper stated that this situation was unprecedented in Hong Kong and they were not given a reason for the rejection. The Hong Kong government declined to comment on the specific case, stating that the Immigration Department makes decisions on visa applications based on individual circumstances and existing laws and policies. Mallet, who is a British national, serves as the first vice president of the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club and was the club's main spokesperson during a controversial event in August involving a Hong Kong independence advocate. Mainland China often denies resident work visas to foreign journalists and media organizations as a form of punishment, but Hong Kong, which has stronger protections for civil liberties, has traditionally been more respectful of free speech. The decision to expel Mallet from Hong Kong has caused concern among human rights advocates, as it blurs the line between Hong Kong and mainland China. This unprecedented move is expected to have a chilling effect on freedom of expression in the city, according to experts. Ng stated that as Beijing continuously adjusts what topics are considered 'sensitive' and off-limits, there is a growing pressure for institutions and individuals to practice self-censorship. This poses a threat to free expression and the free flow of ideas, which negatively impacts Hong Kong's reputation as a cosmopolitan city that upholds the rule of law. He suggested that the expulsion of the Foreign Correspondents' Club was a clear act of retaliation by authorities to punish the organization. In August, the Foreign Correspondents' Club hosted a talk by Andy Chan, the leader of a political party advocating for Hong Kong's independence from China. The Hong Kong government had previously announced its intention to ban Chan's party, the Hong Kong National Party, citing a colonial-era law that allows for the prohibition of groups for reasons of national security, public safety, or public order. Both Hong Kong and Chinese officials criticized the event. Leung Chun-ying, who served as the city's top official from 2012 to 2017, went even further by comparing the talk to hosting supporters of "racism, anti-Semitism or Nazism" and suggesting that the Hong Kong government should reassess the lease of the FCC's clubhouse in a historically significant, publicly owned building in central Hong Kong. Mallet, an experienced Financial Times editor who previously served as the newspaper's bureau chief in New Delhi, stated during Chan's talk that the club viewed it as a routine event related to an important news story in Hong Kong. He remarked that the unusual level of interest generated by this lunch, both in Hong Kong and internationally, was more indicative of the political climate in Hong Kong and Beijing rather than reflecting on the FCC itself. Last month, Hong Kong banned Chan's party. According to the law, individuals claiming to be party officeholders could face imprisonment for up to three years, while those providing a meeting place for the group could be imprisoned for up to a year for a first offense. Hong Kong, which has its own immigration policy and internal border with China, has previously refused visas to academics and political activists. In the past, scholars from Taiwan were denied entry, as were leaders of Taiwan's 2014 protests against a trade bill with China. The recent denial of a visa renewal for a foreign journalist indicates an expansion of these restrictions. The Financial Times journalist is the first to have a visa renewal denied in Hong Kong, and human rights and free speech groups cannot recall any other foreign journalist being expelled. In 2011, Hong Kong officials rejected a work visa for Chang Ping, a well-known journalist from mainland China who had been offered a job at a Hong Kong newspaper. This kind of treatment towards foreign journalists is much more common in mainland China. Megha Rajagopalan, who served as BuzzFeed News' China bureau chief and had written articles about the widespread detention of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in western China, did not receive a new journalist visa this year. Ursula Gauthier, a reporter for the French newsweekly L'Obs based in Beijing, had her visa renewal denied in 2015 after questioning China's treatment of Uighurs. The New York Times and Bloomberg also faced obstacles in obtaining new journalist visas in China following reports in 2012 about the wealth amassed by Chinese leaders' families. In a speech that was confrontational towards China, Vice President Mike Pence criticized the country's limitations on foreign journalists, stating that these restrictions are a part of the Communist Party's agenda to enforce censorship.