Bold claim: Radio Free Asia has resumed broadcasting to China after a disruption that drew sharp criticism and raised questions about U.S. policy and global influence. But here’s the whole story, clarified and expanded for easier understanding.
Radio Free Asia (RFA) has restarted its broadcasts to audiences inside China, its CEO announced on Tuesday. The revival follows last year’s funding cuts by the Trump administration, which had largely forced the U.S.-funded outlet to pause operations. For years, RFA and its sister networks, including Voice of America, operated with congressional funding overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM).
In the previous year, Kari Lake—appointed by President Donald Trump as acting CEO of USAGM—removed funding for these services, accusing the agencies of waste and anti-Trump bias. Critics argued that the cuts weakened U.S. soft power and allowed rivals like China to gain leverage abroad. The layoffs that followed were seen by many as a concession to adversaries and a weakening of Washington’s global voice.
RFA’s president and CEO, Bay Fang, celebrated the restart, stating on LinkedIn that the network now broadcasts to China in Mandarin, Tibetan, and Uyghur and that it offers some of the world’s few independent reports in those languages. She attributed the return to private contracting for transmission services, noting that ongoing success will depend on securing fresh congressional funding on a regular basis.
A bipartisan funding package signed into law recently allocates $653 million to USAGM, which funds RFA, Voice of America, and other government-supported outlets. This amount is lower than the $867 million the agency received in the previous two years but higher than the $153 million that Trump had requested to shut USAGM down. Lawmakers from both major parties argued that Trump’s push to dismantle these outlets undermined Washington’s global influence, especially as Beijing expands its international footprint.
China’s embassy in Washington declined to comment on U.S. domestic policy but criticized RFA, accusing it of anti-China bias and false reporting about China and China–U.S. relations. Chinese state media had previously welcomed the cuts last year.
RFA supporters emphasize the network’s longstanding role in exposing abuses by China and other authoritarian governments, drawing attention to the hardships faced by minority groups such as China’s Uyghurs.
Recent statements from RFA indicate the organization has contracted private companies to deliver content to Tibet, North Korea, and Myanmar. The Mandarin-language audio is currently available online, with plans to resume regular over-the-air broadcasts soon. Tibetan, Uyghur, Korean, and Burmese programs continue to run on short- and medium-wave frequencies, while previous satellite links through USAGM have not yet resumed.
What do you think about the debate over government-funded media: does private contracting and targeted broadcasting enhance press freedom, or does it complicate independence and credibility? Is it wise for the U.S. to reassert influence through outlets like RFA, or should funding and oversight be restructured entirely? Share your views in the comments.
