Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment of the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Porter]. I commend the chairman and the ranking member of the committee for their cooperation on this.
Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the amendment offered by Representative Porter to increase the funding for international broadcasting to $9.3 million. This funding is urgently needed for the Asia Pacific Network/Radio Free Asia.
We have seen the success of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty in broadcasting the message of freedom and democratic principles to people fighting for freedom. Radio Free Asia which has been designed to emulate Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's success, is now critical to the efforts of those in Asia struggling against authoritarian leaders.
In 1991, Radio Free Asia was endorsed by President Bush's Task Force on U.S. Government International Broadcasting. In 1992, it was endorsed by the Congressional Commission on Broadcasting to the People's Republic of China, which recommended the establishment of a new broadcasting service. President Clinton identified Radio Free Asia as a centerpiece of his new China policy when he delinked trade from human rights in 1994. Unfortunately, the real commitment to establishing this important service has been lacking.
Some may ask why we need APN/RFA when we have the Voice of America. The answer is independence. VOA is an official broadcasting service of the United States Government. In terms of its editorial orientation, VOA serves as an instrument to project U.S. policy at a particular time. Given that the State Department's goal is generally the maintenance of bilateral relations between the United States and any other country, it is unrealistic to expect the State Department to encourage, or even to support, a surrogate radio station which may be viewed with disapproval by the other country.
Working within our overall objectives of promoting democratic freedoms, human rights, and open markets, APN/Radio Free Asia must have the independence to broadcast its own message. This independence is beneficial both to the radio, which is freed from political interference in its message; it is also beneficial to the State Department, which can disavow any connection to the broadcasts coming from APN/RFA.
The fiscal year 1997 Commerce-Justice-State bill would have cut funding for APN/RFA by 50 percent to $5 million. This major cut would seriously undermine the program. I understand the concerns of Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Mollohan.
However, in all fairness, I would like to note for the Record that the members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors were not sworn in until September 1995. At that time, they immediately hired a distinguished China scholar, Orville Schell, to undertake a preliminary report on APN/RFA, which was submitted, on time, in November 1995. At that time, the Board started the search for a director. They chose Richard Richter, who started on March 12. He then hired a distinguished journalist, Dan Southerland, who was brought on to focus on content. Mr. Southerland started during the second week of July. APN/RFA's budget has now been completed and is being reviewed by OMB. The target date for starting to broadcast is September 22. Things are on track at APN/RFA. Cutting the funding now will pull the rug out from under the program.
We, as a Nation, can and must help those fighting for freedom in Asia. I do not believe that many of my colleagues fully understand the lock on information which China's dictators maintain. The vast majority of people in China still only hear what China's government wants them to hear, they only see what the government wants them to see, they only read what the government allows them to read. It is through this stranglehold on information that the Chinese government is so successful in fueling growing nationalism. There are no independent voices in China. Those who speak out are arrested, exiled or killed.
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