BEIJING—A reporter for The Wall Street Journal was forced to leave China on Friday after authorities declined to renew his press credentials.

Chun Han Wong, a Singaporean national, has worked in Beijing for the Journal since 2014. His credentials have been approved annually since then. The Journal applied to renew them late last month for a process that usually takes a matter of days. The government-issued credentials are required to work in China as a foreign reporter. Without them, the Journal couldn’t renew Mr. Wong’s visa,...