In this photo taken on Aug. 14, 2018, Victor Mallet, a Financial Times journalist and vice president of the Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) speaks during a luncheon at the FCC in Hong Kong, during which Andy Chan, founder of the Hong Kong National Party, gave a talk.PAUL YEUNG/AFP/Getty Images
Hong Kong has refused to renew a work visa for a Financial Times journalist who chaired a speech by an independence activist at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, a decision that has raised questions about the Chinese-ruled city’s vaunted freedoms.
The newspaper said on Friday it was not given a reason for the decision, but it comes two months after government officials in China and Hong Kong condemned the FCC for hosting the speech, reigniting debate about the “one country, two systems” formula under which the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with wide-ranging autonomy.
“The Hong Kong authorities have rejected an application to renew the work visa of Victor Mallet, Asia news editor at the Financial Times,” the newspaper said in a statement.
“This is the first time we have encountered this situation in Hong Kong.”
Mallet, who is the FCC’s vice-president, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Hong Kong’s immigration department said it did not comment on specific cases.
In August, Mallet, who was the FCC’s acting president at the time, hosted a speech by pro-independence activist Andy Chan in a move strongly condemned by China.
Beijing had urged the FCC to withdraw its invitation to Chan, a founder of the pro-independence Hong Kong National Party, which was formally banned by Hong Kong authorities last month.
Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong have said the notion of independence is inconsistent with the principle of “one country, two systems”, which promises Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy and freedoms not enjoyed elsewhere in China.
Mallet said in August the FCC neither endorsed nor opposed the diverse views of its speakers, fully respected the law and championed free speech and freedom.
Reuters received multiple messages via email and social media from foreign banking and legal professionals expressing shock at the decision.
Reporters Without Borders called on Hong Kong authorities to reverse their decision.
“This is clearly a form of retaliation for his involvement in the public talk organised in August by FCCHK, which angered Beijing by featuring a pro-Hong Kong independence activist,” the group said in a statement.
“Such action is yet another proof that the Chinese authorities are extending their policy of intimidating foreign journalists to the territory of Hong Kong.”
In a statement, New York-based Human Rights Watch said the visa rejection, together with the unprecedented banning of the Hong Kong National Party, showed a quickening downward spiral for human rights in Hong Kong.
“This is shocking and unprecedented,” it added. “The Hong Kong authorities’ visa renewal rejection - without explanation - of a journalist who’s done nothing more than his job smacks of Beijing-style persecution of critics.”
The FCC, whose members include senior lawyers and government officials besides journalists, has long portrayed itself as fostering and defending free speech.
Mallet has worked as a journalist and foreign correspondent for more than 30 years, first at Reuters and then for the Financial Times, including more than 12 years in Asia.