By Blessing Nweke
Radio Free Asia has resumed broadcasts to audiences in China, its chief executive said Tuesday, months after funding cuts under the Trump administration forced the U.S.-backed outlet to largely cease operations.
RFA and its sister networks, including Voice of America, have for years operated with funding approved by Congress and overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media. A bipartisan spending bill signed by former President Donald Trump earlier this month allocated $653 million to USAGM, restoring key support for its international broadcasters.
The figure is lower than the $867 million appropriated annually over the previous two years but significantly higher than the $153 million Trump had requested as part of a broader effort to wind down the agency. Lawmakers from both major parties argued that dismantling the outlets would weaken U.S. influence abroad, particularly as Beijing expands its global media footprint.
A spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington declined to comment directly on what he described as a U.S. domestic funding matter but accused RFA of bias. Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said the outlet had “spread falsehoods and smeared China,” urging American media organizations to provide what he called objective coverage of China and bilateral relations.
Chinese state media previously welcomed the funding cuts.
Rights advocates say RFA has long reported on alleged human rights abuses in China and other authoritarian countries, highlighting issues affecting minorities such as Uyghur Muslims.
RFA spokesperson Rohit Mahajan said the outlet has contracted private companies to broadcast to audiences in Tibet, North Korea and Myanmar. Mandarin audio content is currently online only, with plans to resume regular over-the-air transmissions soon.
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