RFA President: Hong Kong bureau to restructure in light of Article 23

March 29, 2024

Washington, D.C. — In light of Hong Kong’s passage of Article 23, Bay Fang, President and CEO of Radio Free Asia (RFA), made the following statement about the organization’s plans in Hong Kong – which is available below in Cantonese:

Concerns about the safety of RFA staff and reporters in Hong Kong have led us to restructure our on-the-ground operations there. While RFA will retain its official media registration, at this time we no longer have full-time personnel in Hong Kong and have closed our physical bureau. Actions by Hong Kong authorities, including referring to RFA as a “foreign force,” raise serious questions about our ability to operate in safety with the enactment of Article 23.

Since opening our Hong Kong bureau in 1996, RFA has operated as a private news organization, its editorial independence safeguarded by a firewall endorsed by the same body that funds it, the U.S. Congress. We recognize RFA’s frontline status – as it is among the last independent news organizations reporting on events happening in Hong Kong in Cantonese and Mandarin. This restructuring means that RFA will shift to using a different journalistic model reserved for closed media environments. I commend RFA’s journalists and staff for making this difficult transition possible. For our audiences in Hong Kong and mainland China, who rely on RFA’s timely, uncensored journalism: rest assured, our programming and content will continue without disruption.

About RFA

Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in 9 East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from USAGM.