US-funded Radio Free Asia closes Hong Kong bureau

HONG KONG The president of U.S.-funded Radio Free Asia said on Friday that its Hong Kong bureau has been closed because of safety concerns under a new national security law, deepening concerns about the city's media freedoms.

Bay Fang, the president of RFA, said in a statement that it will no longer have full-time staff in Hong Kong, although it would retain its official media registration.

“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,” Fang said.

RFA's move is widely seen as a reflection of the city's narrowing space for a free press following the enactment of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, locally also known as Article 23 legislation.

Rep. Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed concern over RFA's shutdown and said the new law “not only represents a significant escalation in efforts by Hong Kong and Beijing authorities to suppress free speech and expression,” but “also undermines media freedom and the public's ability to obtain fact-based information.”

Cédric Alviani, the AsiaPacific bureau director for Reporters Without Borders, called the broadcaster's withdrawal “a consequence of the chilling effect applied on media outlets” by the new security law.

“We urge democracies to build up pressure on Chinese authorities so that press freedom is fully restored in the territory,” Alviani said.

The U.S. State Department on Friday announced new visa restrictions on a number of unnamed Hong Kong officials “responsible for the intensifying crackdowns on rights and freedoms” in the territory, following its annual assessment under the Hong Kong Policy Act.

The State Department said the new security law could be used to suppress dissent inside Hong Kong and further Beijing's campaign to intimidate activists abroad.

Hong Kong, once seen as a bastion of media freedom in Asia, has already changed drastically since Beijing imposed a similar security law in 2020, following anti-government protests in 2019.