The radio and its website perform an essential function in exposing the crimes of the CCP both in China and internationally. It should continue its precious work.
by Bitter Winter
We publish as a document, with authorization and without the name of the drafter, a letter that was sent to all US senators and representatives about the threatened closure of Radio Free Asia, which has been celebrated by the CCP as a move highly beneficial to Chinese propaganda.
“Dear Members of the U.S. Congress:
With deep concern and indignation, we strongly urge the U.S. Congress to take immediate action to prevent the closure of Radio Free Asia ( RFA ). This decision is not only a serious blow to press freedom, but also a great damage to the core values and national interests of the United States.
Since its establishment in 1998, Radio Free Asia has been an important channel for listeners in Asia, especially in mainland China, to obtain real information. It breaks through the information blockade of the authoritarian regime and provides the only voice of hope for groups persecuted by the government. In the early days of reform and opening up in Mainland China, we used to hide in our beds and secretly listen to Voice of America to obtain information from the free world. After the June 4th Incident in 1989, we had another choice, namely Radio Free Asia’s detailed reports on vulnerable groups in mainland China, as well as broadcasts on Xinjiang, Tibet and the persecution of religious figures. I was inspired and benefited a lot. Today, the US government intends to cut off funding for Radio Free Asia. This move is undoubtedly sad for those who love freedom, but it makes the Chinese Communist regime and other authoritarian countries excited.
As a scholar who has been paying attention to China’s democracy and human rights issues for decades, I know that Radio Free Asia is irreplaceable. It is an important platform for democrats to convey their voices. Its closure will make countless Chinese people’s unfair experiences unknown. During the Cold War, Voice of America played a key role in fighting totalitarianism, and now Radio Free Asia plays the same important role in the context of the rise of new totalitarianisms. It is disappointing that the government cuts off such media under the pretext of efficiency.
For more than two decades, Radio Free Asia has spread truthful information to China, Vietnam, Myanmar, North Korea and other places, filling the information vacuum under authoritarian regimes. It not only provides news and information for Tibetans, Uyghurs, and other persecuted groups, but also resists the expansion of totalitarianism on the ideological front. If Radio Free Asia is lost, the national interests of the United States will also be harmed, because authoritarian countries will use this opportunity to increase propaganda penetration, posing a greater challenge to the United States and its allies.
Over the years, Radio Free Asia has broken through the CCP’s information censorship and enabled Chinese people to learn about human rights violations in the country. Shutting down this platform will only make the CCP more unscrupulous in suppressing dissenting voices. Is this decision influenced by political manipulation? It clearly benefits the Chinese government and does not benefit ordinary Chinese people at all.
In addition, Radio Free Asia was the first media outlet in the world to expose the CCP’s large-scale detention and persecution of ethnic minorities such as Uyghurs and Kazakhs in Xinjiang. The station’s reports have attracted global attention, making it impossible to cover up the CCP’s human rights atrocities. If Radio Free Asia is shut down, the voices of these persecuted groups will become even weaker, or even completely eliminated.
Radio Free Asia also provides important support for the United States’ own national security. It has repeatedly exposed the CCP’s cyber warfare and offline infiltration operations against the United States, reminding the US government and society to guard against the CCP’s global expansion. Now, the US government’s cut in funding is equivalent to weakening its own defense capabilities, making it easier for the CCP’s foreign propaganda to create a public opinion war in the Chinese American community.
The closure of Radio Free Asia is not only a stranglehold on press freedom, but also a betrayal of democratic values. Ironically, while the US government is trying to cut the budgets of news organizations, public information shows that in recent years, in order to ‘plant the red flag all over the world,’ the Chinese Communist Party has spent billions of dollars to expand its propaganda machine and try to influence global public opinion. As one gains while the other loses, it is not only the freedom fighters in Asia that are damaged, but also the international reputation and long-term strategic interests of the United States itself.
We call on Congress to intervene immediately to restore funding to Radio Free Asia and ensure that this voice of freedom is not extinguished. Together, let us protect press freedom, defend democratic values, and preserve America’s global influence. Please pay attention and take urgent action to defend the fundamental rights of Asians.”
