I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2531
To provide for increased international broadcasting activities to China.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 23, 1997
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on International Relations
A BILL
To provide for increased international broadcasting activities
to China.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Radio Free Asia Act
of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Government of the People’s Republic of
China systematically controls the flow of information
to the Chinese people.
(2) The Government of the People’s Republic of
China demonstrated that maintaining its monopoly
on political power is a higher priority than economic
development by announcing in January 1996 that its
official news agency Xinhua, will supervise wire serv-
ices selling economic information, including Dow
Jones-Telerate, Bloomberg, and Reuters Business,
and in announcing in February of 1996 the ‘‘In-
terim Internet Management Rules’’, which have the
effect of censoring computer networks.
(3) Under the May 30, 1997, order of Premier
Li Peng, all organizations that engage in business
activities 
related 
to 
international 
computer
networking must now apply for a license, increasing
still further government control over access to the
internet.
(4) Both Radio Free Asia and the Voice of
America, as a surrogate for a free press in the Peo-
ple’s Republic of China, provide an invaluable source
of uncensored information to the Chinese people, in-
cluding objective and authoritative news of in-coun-
try and regional events, as well as accurate news
about the United States and its policies.
(5) Radio Free Asia currently broadcasts only
5 hours a day in the Mandarin dialect and 2 hours
a day in Tibetan.
(6) Voice of America currently broadcasts only
10 hours a day in Mandarin and 31⁄2 hours a day
in Tibetan.
(7) Radio Free Asia and Voice of America
should develop 24-hour-a-day service in Mandarin,
Cantonese, and Tibetan, as well as further broad-
casting capability in the dialects spoken in Xinjiang
and other regions of the People’s Republic of China.
(8) Radio Free Asia and Voice of America, in
working toward continuously broadcasting the Peo-
ple’s Republic of China in multiple languages, have
the capability to immediately establish 24-hour-a-day
Mandarin broadcasting to that nation by staggering
the hours of Radio Free Asia and Voice of America.
(9) Simultaneous broadcasting on Voice of
America radio and Worldnet television 7 days a
week in Mandarin are also important and needed ca-
pabilities.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR IN-
CREASED FUNDING FOR RADIO FREE ASIA
AND VOICE OF AMERICA BROADCASTING TO
CHINA.
(a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR RADIO
FREE ASIA.—
(1) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—
There are authorized to be appropriated for ‘‘Radio
Free Asia’’ $30,000,000 for fiscal year 1998 and
$22,000,000 for fiscal year 1999.
(2) LIMITATIONS.—
(A)(i) Of the funds under paragraph (1)
authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year
1998, $8,000,000 is authorized to be appro-
priated for one-time capital costs.
(ii) Of the funds under clause (i),
$900,000 is authorized to be appropriated for
additional advanced editing equipment.
(B) Of the funds under paragraph (1),
$1,200,000 is authorized to be appropriated for
each such fiscal year for additional personnel to
staff Cantonese language broadcasting.
(b) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS
FOR
INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING TO CHINA.—In addition
to such sums as are otherwise authorized to be appro-
priated for ‘‘International Broadcasting Activities’’ for fis-
cal years 1998 and 1999, there are authorized to be ap-
propriated for ‘‘International Broadcasting Activities’’
$10,000,000 for fiscal year 1998 and $7,000,000 for fiscal
year 1999, which shall be available only for enhanced
Voice of America broadcasting to China.
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR RADIO
CONSTRUCTION.—
(1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In
addition to such sums as are otherwise authorized to
be appropriated for ‘‘Radio Construction’’ for fiscal
years 1998 and 1999, there are authorized to be ap-
propriated for ‘‘Radio Construction’’ $10,000,000
for fiscal year 1998 and $3,000,000 for fiscal year
1999, which shall be available only for construction
in support of enhanced broadcasting to China.
(2) LIMITATION.—Of the funds under para-
graph (1) authorized to be appropriated for fiscal
year 1998, $3,000,000 is authorized to be appro-
priated to facilitate the timely augmentation of
transmitters at Tinian, Marshall Islands.
(d) ALLOCATION.—Of the amounts authorized to be
appropriated for ‘‘International Broadcasting Activities’’,
the Director of the United States Information Agency and
the Board of Broadcasting Governors shall seek to ensure
that the amounts made available for broadcasting to na-
tions whose people do not fully enjoy freedom of expres-
sion do not decline in proportion to the amounts made
available for broadcasting to other nations.
SEC. 4. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.
Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment
of this Act, in consultation with the Board of Broadcast-
ing Governors, the President shall prepare and transmit
to Congress a report on a plan to achieve continuous
broadcasting of Radio Free Asia and Voice of America to
the People’s Republic of China in multiple major dialects
and languages.
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