Radio Free Asia (RFA) has officially resumed its broadcasts to audiences in China, marking a significant recovery after severe funding cuts during the Trump administration nearly forced the outlet to cease operations. The announcement was made by Bay Fang, RFA's president and chief executive, who detailed the restart in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday.
Funding Crisis and Political Backlash
For years, RFA and its sister organizations, including Voice of America (VOA), relied on funding approved by the US Congress and overseen by the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). However, last year, Kari Lake, a former news anchor appointed by Donald Trump as acting chief executive of USAGM, terminated their grants. Lake cited allegations of taxpayer money waste and anti-Trump bias, leading to widespread criticism and mass layoffs. Critics argued that this move ceded ground to China and other US adversaries, undermining American influence globally.
Resumption Through Private Contracts
Bay Fang explained that the ability to restart broadcasts was achieved through "private contracting with transmission services," though specific details were not disclosed. She emphasized that rebuilding the network would require consistent funding from Congress to ensure long-term sustainability. RFA has resumed broadcasting in Mandarin, Tibetan, and Uyghur languages, providing independent reporting on regions where such coverage is scarce.
Congressional Funding and Bipartisan Support
In February, a bipartisan spending bill signed into law by Trump included $653 million for USAGM, which oversees RFA, VOA, and other government-funded outlets. This amount is a decrease from the $867 million appropriated in each of the previous two years but exceeds the $153 million Trump had requested to shut down the agency. US lawmakers from both parties had warned that dismantling these news outlets would diminish Washington's global clout, especially as Beijing expands its influence.
Chinese Response and Media Bias Allegations
A spokesperson for China's embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, declined to comment on what he termed US domestic policy but accused RFA of having an anti-China bias. "Radio Free Asia has long spread falsehoods and smeared China, and they have a poor record when it comes to reporting on China-related issues," he stated. Chinese state media had previously praised the funding cuts, while rights activists have highlighted RFA's role in exposing abuses by China and other authoritarian regimes for decades.
Current Broadcast Operations
RFA spokesperson Rohit Mahajan confirmed on Friday that the outlet has contracted with private companies to broadcast to audiences in Tibet, North Korea, and Myanmar. Currently, Mandarin audio content is available online only, with plans to resume regular over-the-air broadcasts soon. Tibetan, Uyghur, Korean, and Burmese radio programming airs over short and medium-wave frequencies, though previous satellite transmissions via USAGM have not yet been restored.
This development underscores the ongoing tensions between US media initiatives and geopolitical strategies, as RFA navigates financial challenges to maintain its mission of providing independent news in critical regions.
