Radio Free Asia axes Cantonese service amid US funding cut 

Radio Free Asia (RFA) announced it will cease Cantonese-language content operations starting Tuesday (July 1), following the termination of funding by the US government.

The private and non-profit news outlet, founded in 1996, was funded by the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), whose content has frequently been criticized by the Hong Kong government.
 
A report published last year claimed that the offenses under Basic Law Article 23 targeted the media, which was explicitly criticized by Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung, who accused it of smearing Article 23.

The physical office of RFA in Hong Kong has closed following the enactment of Article 23 legislation last year.

The latest financial challenge of the news agency arose after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March requiring the functions of several organizations, including the USAGM, to be reduced to the minimum required by law.

Trump had previously criticized these media outlets for advocating stances that did not align with his views, labeling them as "left-wing media." 

Elon Musk, who once headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), stated that media outlets under the management of USAGM wasted taxpayers' money. 

He described the outlets as "filled with far-left activists" and argued that they should all be shut down.

RFA stated that they are operating with fewer staff and providing limited news updates on their website and social media due to the funding termination.