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Radio Free Asia (RFA) will close its Hong Kong bureau, citing safety concerns after the passing of a new national security law.
The US-funded radio station said Article 23 — enacted earlier this month — would limit media freedom.
"Actions by Hong Kong authorities, including referring to RFA as a 'foreign force', raises serious questions about our ability to operate in safety," its president Bay Fang said.
However, Ms Fang has promised RFA will continue to produce content.
"This restructuring means that RFA will shift to using a different journalist model reserved for closed media environments," she said.
Hong Kong was once hailed as a bastion of media freedom in Asia.
But a similar national security law introduced in 2020 was followed by the closure of two other news outlets — Apple Daily and Stand News.
RFA was "among the last independent news organisation reporting on events happening in Hong Kong in Cantonese and Mandarin", Ms Fang said.
Hong Kong now ranks 140 out of 180 countries and territories in Reporters Without Borders' latest World Press Freedom Index.
Government condemns 'scaremongering'
RFA's concerns stem from a provision in Article 23 that includes tougher penalties for people found to be working with foreign governments or organisations.
The Hong Kong government on Friday refused to comment specifically on RFA's decision to close its bureau.
A spokesperson said "normal journalists" would be safe in Hong Kong.
"To single out Hong Kong and suggest that journalists would only experience concerns when operating here but not in other countries, would be grossly biased, if not outrageous," a statement read.
The government condemned "all scaremongering and smearing remarks" against the new law.
A spokesperson for the US State Department said "RFA's decision represents the latest consequence of Hong Kong authorities' continuing suppression of media freedom".
"We remain deeply concerned about the deterioration in protection for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the systematic dismantling of Hong Kong's autonomy under the National Security Law and recently passed Article 23 legislation," the official said.
In a statement earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was taking steps to impose new visa restrictions on multiple Hong Kong officials over the crackdown on rights and freedoms.
What is Article 23?
Article 23 is a new national security law that grants the Hong Kong government more power to quash dissent.
It has been widely seen as the latest step in a sweeping political crackdown that was triggered by pro-democracy protests in 2019.
Hong Kong officials say it is needed to prevent a recurrence of the protests, and that it will only affect "an extremely small minority" of disloyal residents.
The measure targets espionage, disclosing state secrets, and "colluding with external forces" to commit illegal acts, among others.
AP/ABC