The logo of Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) is seen outside its building in Hong Kong, China January 11, 2022. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

Aug 23 (Reuters) – Bloomberg said on Saturday it was working to resolve the situation of a correspondent in Hong Kong whose visa renewal application was turned down by authorities in the Asian financial hub.

Hong Kong declined to extend the visa of Bloomberg journalist Rebecca Choong Wilkins without explanation, according to a post from the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) which Wilkins confirmed as accurate to Reuters on Saturday.

While Bloomberg said in a statement it does not comment on individual cases, it said it fully supports Wilkins and will “continue to work through the appropriate avenues to try to resolve the matter.”

When asked to comment on Wilkins’ visa situation, a spokesperson for Hong Kong’s Immigration Department said in a statement it does not comment on individual cases and says applicants have to “meet the eligibility criteria”.

Industry watchdogs say China has been eroding press freedoms in Hong Kong since it was returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Local journalists have faced detention and harassment, while some foreign reporters have been denied entry or visas, often without reason.

Media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders said nine journalists have had visa issues with Hong Kong authorities since the enactment of a national security law in 2020, leading to a fall in the city’s ranking in a global press freedom index to 140th out of 180 countries and territories.

Wilkins, who had worked in Hong Kong for six years, was most recently a reporter on the Asia government and economy team at Bloomberg.

“This decision and the lack of explanation reinforces widespread concerns about the erosion of press freedom in Hong Kong, which is protected under the Basic Law and the Bill of Rights,” said the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents Club in its post on Friday.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association said numbers of denials of visa applications by major foreign media are more than have been publicly reported, acording to a post from Selina Cheng, the association’s chairperson.

Hong Kong denies it curbs press freedoms.

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