The Financial Times reported that the Hong Kong government did not provide a reason for their decision to not renew Victor Mallet's work visa. The newspaper stated that this was a unique situation for them in Hong Kong and they have not been given an explanation for the rejection. The Hong Kong government declined to comment on the specific case, stating that the Immigration Department assesses each application based on laws and policies before making a decision. Mallet, a British citizen, serves as the first vice president of the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club and was the organization's spokesperson during a controversial event in August involving a Hong Kong independence advocate. Foreign journalists and media organizations in Mainland China often face punishment in the form of denied resident work visas. However, Hong Kong, which has stronger protections for civil liberties, has typically been more respectful of free speech. The decision to expel Mallet has caused concern among human rights advocates, who view it as a blurring of the line between Hong Kong and mainland China. According to Maya Wang from Human Rights Watch, this situation is unprecedented as visa rejections for foreign journalists are usually associated with China, not Hong Kong. Jason Y Ng, president of PEN Hong Kong, believes that this move will have an immediate 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 both institutions and individuals to practice self-censorship. This poses a threat to freedom of expression and the free exchange of ideas, ultimately damaging Hong Kong's reputation as an open, international city that upholds the rule of law. Ng also suggested that the expulsion of the Foreign Correspondents' Club was a clear act of retaliation by authorities in response to hosting a talk by Andy Chan, who advocated for Hong Kong's independence. Despite the Hong Kong government's plan to ban Chan's political party, the event was still held, leading to criticism from officials in both Hong Kong and China. Leung Chun-ying, the former top official of Hong Kong from 2012 to 2017, compared the discussion at the Foreign Correspondents' Club to hosting supporters of "racism, anti-Semitism, or Nazism" and suggested that the government should reevaluate the lease of the club's clubhouse in a historic building in central Hong Kong. Victor Mallet, a veteran editor of the Financial Times, stated during Chan's talk that the club viewed it as a regular event related to an important news story in Hong Kong. He noted that the intense interest in the lunch event both locally and internationally reflects the political climate in Hong Kong and Beijing rather than any wrongdoing by the FCC. Last month, Hong Kong banned Chan's political party. According to the law, a person claiming to hold a party position could face up to three years in prison, while anyone 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 denied visas to academics and political activists. In the past, two scholars from Taiwan were refused entry, and in 2014, leaders of Taiwan's protests against a trade bill with China were also denied entry. The recent denial of a visa renewal for a foreign journalist working for The Financial Times suggests an increase in such restrictions. This journalist is the first from The Financial Times to have a visa renewal denied in Hong Kong, and there is no immediate recollection of any other foreign journalist being expelled by human rights and free speech groups. In 2011, Hong Kong authorities denied Chang Ping, a prominent journalist from mainland China, a work visa despite him being offered a job at a Hong Kong newspaper. This kind of treatment towards foreign journalists is more common in mainland China. Megha Rajagopalan, the China bureau chief for BussFeed News, was not granted a new journalist visa this year after reporting on the detention of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in western China. Ursula Gauthier, a reporter for the French newsweekly L’Obs in Beijing, had her visa renewal denied in 2015 for questioning China's treatment of Uighurs. The New York Times and Bloomberg also faced difficulties in obtaining new journalist visas in China following reports in 2012 on the wealth of Chinese leaders' families. In a speech characterized by confrontation towards China, Vice President Mike Pence criticized the country's limitations on foreign journalists as a tactic by the Communist Party to promote censorship.