The Financial Times reported on Friday that the Hong Kong government did not provide a reason for refusing to renew Victor Mallet's work visa, who is the newspaper's Asia news editor. This is the first time the newspaper has faced such a situation in Hong Kong, and they have not received an explanation for the rejection. The Hong Kong government stated that they would not comment on individual cases, and the Immigration Department mentioned that they make decisions on visa applications based on laws and policies, considering the specific circumstances of each case. Mallet, a British citizen, holds a prominent position at the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club and was a spokesperson for the organization during a controversial event in August that was criticized by local and mainland Chinese officials. Mainland China often denies work visas to foreign journalists and media organizations as a form of punishment, but in Hong Kong, there are stronger protections for civil liberties. The decision to expel Mallet has raised concerns among human rights advocates, as it blurs the distinction between Hong Kong and mainland China. According to Maya Wang from Human Rights Watch, the rejection of Mallet's visa is unprecedented in Hong Kong, which has historically respected freedom of speech. Jason Y Ng, president of PEN Hong Kong, believes this move will have a negative impact on freedom of expression in the city. Ng stated that as Beijing continues to redefine 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 exchange of ideas in Hong Kong, which is known as an open, cosmopolitan city that upholds the rule of law. Ng believes that the expulsion of the Foreign Correspondents' Club is a clear act of retaliation by the authorities in response to the club hosting a talk by Andy Chan, the leader of a political party advocating for Hong Kong's independence from China. The Hong Kong government had already indicated its intention to ban Chan's party, the Hong Kong National Party, using a colonial-era law that allows for the prohibition of groups for reasons of national security, public safety, or public order. Both Hong Kong officials and the Chinese central government condemned the event. Leung Chun-ying, who served as the city's top official from 2012 to 2017, went a step further by comparing the talk to hosting supporters of "racism, anti-Semitism or Nazism." He suggested that the Hong Kong government should reconsider the lease of the FCC's clubhouse, located in a historic, publicly owned building in central Hong Kong. Mallet, a seasoned Financial Times editor who previously served as the newspaper's bureau chief in New Delhi, defended the event as a "normal event" related to an important news story in Hong Kong during Chan's talk. He noted that the widespread interest in the lunch indicated more about the political climate in Hong Kong and Beijing than about the FCC itself. Last month, Hong Kong banned Chan's party. According to the law, individuals claiming to be members of a political party 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 a border with mainland China, has in the past denied visas to academics and political activists. In recent years, scholars from Taiwan and leaders of protests against a trade bill with China were also not allowed entry into Hong Kong. The denial of a visa renewal to a foreign journalist from The Financial Times marks an expansion of these restrictions, as this has not happened before in Hong Kong. Human rights and free speech organizations could not recall any other instances of a foreign journalist being expelled from Hong Kong. In 2011, Chang Ping, a prominent journalist from mainland China, was denied a work visa by Hong Kong authorities despite being offered a job at a local newspaper. This kind of treatment towards foreign journalists is more commonly seen in mainland China. Journalists such as Megha Rajagopalan, Ursula Gauthier, The New York Times, and Bloomberg have also faced difficulties in obtaining journalist visas in China due to their critical reporting on various issues. In a speech filled with confrontation towards China on Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence criticized the country's limitations on foreign journalists as a tactic by the Communist Party to promote censorship.