Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the Hong Kong authorities’ decision to deny Bloomberg journalist Rebecca Choong Wilkins a work visa without providing any explanation. She is the tenth journalist since the enactment of the National Security Law to be targeted under Hong Kong’s visa weaponisation policy, a tactic long used by the Chinese regime to restrict the access of foreign correspondents.
On 22 August 2025, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Hong Kong reported that Bloomberg journalist Rebecca Choong Wilkins’s visa had been denied renewal. This marks the second such refusal of a Bloomberg journalist in the China-controlled territory in two years. Rebecca Choong Wilkins, who has been with Bloomberg in Hong Kong for six years as a senior reporter covering Asia’s government and economy. The visa denial is all the more shocking as the journalist was eight months pregnant at the time of the refusal. RSF reached out to the Hong Kong Immigration Department for an explanation, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
According to RSF data, Rebecca Choong Wilkins is at least the tenth journalist to be denied a visa or barred from entering Hong Kong since the enactment of the draconian National Security Law in 2020, with many cases believed to be underreported due to fears of retaliation.
“The growing number of visa denials mirrors China’s restrictive playbook and sends a stark warning to the business community: even journalists at business-focused outlets can be blocked simply for doing their job. It underscores how press freedom in Hong Kong is steadily eroding and mirroring China’s model of tightly controlling the flow of information. The international community must continue to exert pressure on Chinese authorities to ensure that press freedom is guaranteed in the territory, rather than sliding further toward the repressive environment fostered by Beijing.
Ten journalists targeted by arbitrary visa restrictions under the National Security Law
- Chris Buckley, New York Times: visa rejected following expulsion from China (2020)
- Aaron McNicholas, Hong Kong Free Press: visa rejected without explanation (2020)
- Sue-Lin Wong, The Economist: visa renewal rejected without explanation (2021)
- Michiko Kiseki, freelance photojournalist: detained, interrogated and deported at Hong Kong airport (2022)
- Yoshiaki Ogawa, freelance journalist: detained overnight, interrogated and deported (2023)
- Matthew Connors, freelance photojournalist: denied entry to Hong Kong (2023)
- Haze Fan, Bloomberg: visa rejected without explanation (2024)
- Louise Delmotte, Associated Press: visa rejected without explanation (2024)
- US journalist who requested anonymity: visa request denied without explanation (2024)
- Rebecca Choong Wilkins, Bloomberg: visa renewal rejected without explanation (2025)
In 2018, the Hong Kong government also expelled Financial Times journalist Victor Mallet after he moderated a debate that included a Hong Kong independence activist as a guest speaker, which displeased Chinese authorities.
The practice has also been used against press freedom advocates. In April 2024, ahead of a hearing in the ongoing trial of publisher Jimmy Lai, RSF representative Aleksandra Bielakowska was detained and questioned at Hong Kong International Airport before being deported. Rebecca Choong Wilkins has also extensively covered the Jimmy Lai case.
Since 2020, the Hong Kong government has prosecuted at least 28 journalists, eight of whom are currently detained. Hong Kong is ranked 140th in the RSF 2025 World Press Freedom Index, having plummeted down the rankings from 18th place in just two decades. This decline is, in large part, due to the enactment of the National Security Law, which has led to newsroom closures, media outlets fleeing into exile and the legal persecution of journalists. China ranks 178th of the 180 countries and territories surveyed in the Index.
