China Expands Tibetan-Language State Broadcasting as Two US Radio Services Suspended

Beijing is expanding its network of Tibetan-language radio broadcasts amid shrinking access for independent media to the region. The move has drawn scrutiny from international press freedom organisations, which say the information gap in Tibet is deepening.

Marking World Radio Day on 13 February, Paris-based press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) revealed that China’s state broadcaster, China National Radio (CNR), has significantly increased the number of Tibetan-language programmes in less than a year.

According to RSF, CNR expanded its Tibetan-language programming from just one to 17 programmes. The expansion is reflected in the winter broadcast schedule released by the High Frequency Coordination Conference (HFCC) in Prague, the body that coordinates shortwave frequencies among global broadcasters.

RSF noted that the expansion comes at a time when Tibetan-language services from US-funded media outlets — Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Voice of America (VOA) — have been suspended. For years, the two outlets served as rare alternative sources of information for the Tibetan public, including reporting on alleged human rights violations, restrictions on religious freedom, and cultural issues.

“Without RFA and VOA, there is virtually no counter-voice that can challenge the Chinese regime’s propaganda in Tibet,” RSF stated. The organisation observed that official government narratives consistently promote the Chinese Communist Party, campaign for “ethnic unity,” and attribute dissent to foreign interference.

RSF’s Asia-Pacific Advocacy Manager, Aleksandera Bielakowska, described the government broadcasting expansion as a key component of Beijing’s strategy to shape its own version of the global information order. She urged democratic nations to increase support for independent Tibetan media and called on USAGM leadership to prioritise restoring Tibetan-language services before the public entirely loses access to alternative information sources.

The expansion is seen as aligned with Beijing’s broader political communications strategy. At the celebration of the 75th anniversary of China Tibet Radio in May 2025, Shen Haixiong — Deputy Head of the Chinese Communist Party’s Publicity Department and head of China Media Group — stated that the aim of broadcasting was to ensure President Xi Jinping’s thought “penetrates the hearts of various ethnic groups like honey rain.”