The notorious anti-China media Radio Free Asia (RFA) announced on its website and social media accounts that its Cantonese service would cease operations from Tuesday due to a shortage of funds and a reduction in staff caused by the suspension of funding by the U.S. government.
The announcement said that with the cessation of funding from the U.S. government, the RFA team will be further reduced, and the Cantonese service will cease updating news content starting Tuesday, which marks the 28th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.
RFA was established in 1996, funded and operated by the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), and includes channels of English, Putonghua, Cantonese, and other languages. For a long time, the Cantonese service of RFA repeatedly fabricated false news to smear China on issues related to regions of Hong Kong and Xinjiang, according to media report.
On March 15, hundreds of staffers at Voice of America (VOA), RFA and Radio Free Europe received a weekend email that they will be barred from their offices and should surrender press passes and equipment, Xinhua News Agency reported.
According to Xinhua, the cuts followed an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump, which listed USAGM, as part of "unnecessary" federal bureaucracy.
USAGM, VOA's parent agency, employs about 3,500 people and had an 886 million-U.S. dollar budget for 2024. The agency has severed all contracts for the privately incorporated international broadcasters it funds, including Radio Free Europe and RFA, per Xinhua.
In response to questions about the U.S. government's decision to shut down VOA and RFA, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in March that "We are not going to comment on U.S. adjustment of its domestic policies," but added that "on those U.S. media you mentioned, their blemished track record on China coverage is hardly a secret."
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