Radio Free Asia Resumes Broadcasting to China After Trump's Near-Closure Order
Radio Free Asia (RFA) has resumed its broadcasts to China, its CEO announced on Tuesday, following a near-closure ordered by the Trump administration last year. The US-funded media outlet, which provides independent reporting in Mandarin, Tibetan, and Uyghur languages, had been at risk of ceasing operations due to funding cuts.
The cuts were initiated by Kari Lake, a former news anchor appointed by Donald Trump as the acting CEO of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). Lake terminated RFA's grants, citing concerns over taxpayer money and alleged anti-Trump bias. This decision sparked criticism from rights activists and critics who viewed it as a concession to China and other adversaries.
However, Bay Fang, RFA's president and CEO, expressed pride in their resumed broadcasts. She attributed the restart to private contracting with transmission services, although she did not disclose specific details. Fang emphasized the importance of consistent funding to rebuild the network, which is currently approved by Congress.
A bipartisan spending bill signed into law by Trump in February allocated $653 million for USAGM, which oversees RFA and other government-funded outlets. This amount is lower than the previous years' appropriations but surpasses Trump's requested budget for shutting down USAGM.
US lawmakers from both parties have criticized Trump's efforts to dismantle these news outlets, arguing that it undermines America's global influence at a time when China is expanding its own.
The Chinese embassy in Washington declined to comment on US domestic policy but accused RFA of anti-China bias. The embassy's spokesperson, Liu Pengyu, claimed that RFA has a history of spreading false information and smearing China.
Despite the controversy, RFA's broadcasts have been praised for their role in shedding light on human rights abuses in China and other authoritarian countries. Rights activists highlight RFA's efforts in raising awareness about the struggles of oppressed minorities, such as China's Uyghur Muslims.
RFA's spokesperson, Rohit Mahajan, confirmed that the outlet has contracted with private companies to broadcast to audiences in Tibet, North Korea, and Myanmar. The Mandarin audio content is currently available online, with plans to resume regular broadcasts over airwaves soon. The Tibetan, Uyghur, Korean, and Burmese radio programming continues to air on short and medium-wave frequencies.
