Original title: The Hong Kong government refuses to renew the “Economist” reporter’s work visa in Hong Kong, and foreign media speculate on “freedom of the press”
(Observer Network News) According to Reuters news on the 13th, Zanny Minton Beddoes, the editor-in-chief of the British magazine “The Economist”, issued a statement on the 12th that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has refused to renew the magazine’s Hong Kong correspondent, Sue Huang. -Lin Wong) work visa without giving reasons. In response to this, some Western media once again took the opportunity to hype up the topic of press freedom in Hong Kong.
In this brief statement, Bedes insisted that The Economist was “proud” of Huang Shulin’s news report and “regretted” the decision of the Hong Kong Immigration Department because the other party did not give any explanation. Bedes also declared that the Hong Kong government should continue to ensure the access of foreign media, “this is essential to Hong Kong’s status as an international city.”
Before joining The Economist, Huang Shulin, an Australian national, worked for Reuters and the Financial Times. At present, Huang Shulin is not in Hong Kong. The refusal of the visa by the Hong Kong government means that she will not be able to return to Hong Kong to work. Huang Shulin said on Twitter, “It is a pity that I will not be able to continue reporting in Hong Kong. I like to know this city and its people, and I will miss all of you.”
The Hong Kong Government and the Immigration Department did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Photos posted by Huang Shulin on personal TwitterIt is worth noting that some Western media have again sensed the space for hype about Huang Shulin’s visa rejection. When reporting by Reuters, The Guardian, and the Associated Press (AP), they unanimously uttered absurd statements such as the so-called Hong Kong National Security Act “oppresses freedom of speech” and “the freedom of the press in Hong Kong is eroded.”
In fact, the mentality of the Western media is not difficult to understand. The emergence of the sword of Hong Kong’s national security has dealt a serious blow to their Hong Kong-related reports that distort facts and reverse black and white. At the press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 5, Bloomberg reporters tried to hype that nearly half of the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents Association reporters were considering leaving Hong Kong.
In response to this statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin used figures to expose this lie. Wang Wenbin said that as long as foreign media and reporters in Hong Kong abide by the law and report in accordance with laws and regulations, their legal rights will be fully protected.
According to Wang Wenbin, as of April 2021, foreign media in Hong Kong had a total of 628 foreign employees holding work visas, an increase of 98 from the same period last year, an increase of 18.5%. Bloomberg alone has added 55 foreign employees in Hong Kong. “I think the figures will not lie. They also truly reflect the views and feelings of people from all walks of life, including foreign media in Hong Kong, on Hong Kong’s economic society and media reporting environment.
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