The Hong Kong government did not provide a reason for their decision to not renew Victor Mallet's work visa, according to a statement by The Financial Times. This situation is unprecedented in Hong Kong, and the government has not given any explanation for the rejection. The Immigration Department stated that they make decisions on visa applications based on individual circumstances and existing policies. Mallet, a British citizen, is the first vice president of the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club and faced criticism from local and mainland Chinese officials for hosting a talk by a Hong Kong independence advocate in August. Mainland China often denies 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 tolerant. The decision to expel Mallet has raised concerns among human rights advocates, who see it as eroding the distinction between Hong Kong and mainland China. This move, unprecedented in Hong Kong, is expected to have a negative impact on freedom of expression in the city, according to experts. Ng stated that as Beijing continues to change the boundaries of what topics are considered 'sensitive' and off-limits, there is a growing pressure for both institutions and individuals to practice self-censorship. This, in turn, poses a threat to free expression and the free exchange of ideas in Hong Kong, impacting its reputation as an open and law-abiding 'world' city. He believes that the expulsion of the Foreign Correspondents' Club was 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 expressed its intention to ban Chan's party, the Hong Kong National Party, under an old law that allows the prohibition of groups for reasons related to 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, compared the talk to hosting supporters of racist or anti-Semitic ideologies, and suggested that the Hong Kong government should reconsider 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 regular event related to an important news story in Hong Kong. He expressed that the overwhelming interest and controversy surrounding the lunch indicated more about the political atmosphere in Hong Kong and Beijing than it did about the FCC itself. Last month, Hong Kong banned Chan's political party. According to the law, a person claiming to be a member of the party could face up to three years in prison, and providing a meeting place for the group could result in up to a year of imprisonment for a first offense. Hong Kong, which has its own immigration policies and internal border with China, has previously denied visas to academics and political activists. In the past, Taiwan scholars and leaders of protests against a trade bill with China were also denied entry. The recent denial of a visa renewal for a foreign journalist from The Financial Times marks an expansion of these restrictions, as no foreign journalist has previously been expelled from Hong Kong. In 2011, authorities in Hong Kong declined to grant a work visa to Chang Ping, a well-known journalist from mainland China who had secured a position at a Hong Kong newspaper. This type of treatment towards foreign journalists is much more common in mainland China. For instance, Megha Rajagopalan, who served as the China bureau chief for BussFeed News and wrote about the mass detention of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in western China, did not receive a new journalist visa this year. Similarly, Ursula Gauthier, a reporter in Beijing for the French newsweekly L’Obs, had her visa renewal denied in 2015 after questioning China’s treatment of Uighurs. Additionally, The New York Times and Bloomberg faced obstacles in obtaining new journalist visas in China following their reports in 2012 on the wealth accumulated by the families of Chinese leaders. Vice President Mike Pence delivered a speech on Thursday criticizing China for its limitations on foreign journalists, stating that these restrictions are a tactic used by the Communist Party to promote censorship.