Radio Free Asia Resumes Broadcasts to China After Funding Restoration

Washington – Radio Free Asia (RFA) has resumed broadcasting to audiences in China, providing independent reporting in Mandarin, Tibetan, and Uyghur, after a period of largely ceasing operations due to funding cuts initiated by the Trump administration. The resumption comes following the approval of a bipartisan spending bill earlier in February.

Background: Funding Cuts and Controversy

For years, RFA and its sister outlets, including Voice of America (VOA), relied on funding approved by the U.S. Congress and overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). However, in 2025, grants to RFA were terminated by Kari Lake, a former news anchor appointed by President Donald Trump as the acting chief executive of USAGM. Lake justified the cuts by alleging waste of taxpayer money and anti-Trump bias The Guardian.

These cuts were widely criticized as ceding ground to China and other U.S. Adversaries, leading to mass layoffs at the organization POLITICO.

Resumption of Broadcasts

RFA President and CEO Bay Fang announced the resumption of broadcasts on LinkedIn, stating the ability to restart was “due to private contracting with transmission services.” The Guardian. Currently, RFA’s Mandarin audio content is available online, with plans to resume regular broadcasts over airwaves soon. Tibetan, Uyghur, Korean, and Burmese radio programming is already airing over short- and medium-wave frequencies U.S. News & World Report.

Congressional Funding and Future Outlook

A recently signed bipartisan spending bill allocated $653 million for USAGM, which oversees RFA, VOA, and other government-funded outlets. While this is less than the $867 million appropriated in the previous two years, it is significantly more than the $153 million President Trump had requested to shut down USAGM The Guardian.

Fang emphasized that rebuilding the network will require consistent funding approved by Congress.

China’s Response

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington declined to comment on the U.S. Domestic policy decision but accused RFA of anti-China bias, stating the outlet has “long spread falsehoods and smeared China” The Japan Times.

Significance of RFA’s Role

Rights activists maintain that RFA plays a crucial role in shining a light on abuses by China and other authoritarian countries, raising awareness about the plight of oppressed minorities, such as China’s Uyghur Muslims.