In the realm of American amateur radio enthusiasts, as they sit in front of their radios, tuning frequencies and scanning for sounds, they often find themselves hearing voices from China inadvertently.
“I persisted in listening for about ten minutes and then turned it off,” wrote a shortwave listener on Reddit. He mentioned his love for tuning into broadcasts from around the world, frequently listening to South Korea’s KBS, Voice of Vietnam, Japan’s NHK, and even North Korean programs that he “could understand their perspective,” but he felt uncomfortable with only China Radio International (CRI).
He described it as having a strange quality, as if it were playing a role it wasn’t meant for. They imitate the program style of BBC and NPR, trying to attract Western audiences, but occasionally insert content like “China’s economy is running well.” Although they also produce human interest stories, it feels unnatural. I don’t think these programs can build bridges or win hearts, the blurred line between truth and falsehood makes my head ache…”
This is not an isolated experience. Under that Reddit post, many shortwave enthusiasts left comments, sharing their impressions of CRI, such as descriptions of “Uyghurs in Xinjiang are very happy,” “peaceful reunification with Taiwan,” and biased reports on “religious freedom in China, with many churches and no signs of religious oppression.”
Some listeners pointed out that it goes beyond mere propaganda and instead represents a mixed reality and narrative “control content.” One comment read, “They have been doing this for many years.” “Wherever you are, local news is publicizing their views.”
Another post titled “What’s Going on with Chinese Radio?” documented more confusion and surprise: “Why do I hear half of the shortwave radio stations in the U.S. coming from CRI or other Chinese stations? Considering I am at the other end of the world, this is truly surprising.” “They not only broadcast in Chinese but also in English and Spanish!” “The programs are almost non-stop for 24 hours, everywhere, impossible to ignore.” “China’s investment in shortwave is more than any other country.”
Radio hobbyists have long been aware of the unusually strong signals of China Radio International (CRI) on shortwave, almost ubiquitous, even “interfering with almost all possible long-distance shortwave communications.” Over the years, the phrase “the airwaves are filled with Chinese broadcasts” has become more than a description but a result of years of observation.
Of greater concern is that through collaborations with local radio stations globally, CRI has turned cities thousands of kilometers away from China into rebroadcasting bases for “Chinese Voices.”
Behind these collaborations lies deeper propaganda strategies. In November 2015, Reuters published an in-depth investigation revealing that CRI had long been working through registered U.S. companies and third-party operators to bypass the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and conceal its connection with the Chinese Communist Party.
According to the report, CRI’s global network is managed by three major agent companies: Finland’s Global Business Times Media Company, Australia’s Global CAMG, and the U.S.-based Global & East Studio, with Global & East’s programs airing 24/7 on at least 12 U.S. radio stations. All three agent companies hold a 60% stake in CRI’s “National Media Century,” which is fully owned by a CRI subsidiary.
While the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) prohibits foreign governments or representatives from holding U.S. radio licenses, similar restrictions exist in Europe and Australia. However, CRI circumvents these regulations through a “lend-lease” approach – using the three agent companies to lease channels on various local radio stations, concealing their identities and effectively acquiring nearly all airtime of the radio station – creating a global “invisible Chinese radio network.”
On the surface, these collaborations appear to be commercial activities, but they are actually orchestrated by the Chinese Communist Party propaganda system. Unlike Voice of America, which explicitly states its government background, CRI disguises its national operation through private fronts.
Some local U.S. radio stations only realized after media inquiries that the companies behind G&E, with whom they had contracts, were funded by the Chinese government.
Similar tactics have been seen in the Chinese state-controlled newspaper system, where the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office holds shares in media outlets like Wen Hui Bao and Qiao Bao through the nominal “Hong Kong Asian Cultural Center,” with a few locals serving as figureheads holding minority shares to conceal official funding and control.
The founder of G&E Studio, James Su, born in Shanghai in 1970, moved to the U.S. in 1989, eventually settling in Los Angeles and becoming a U.S. citizen. Since establishing G&E in 2009, his wealth began to skyrocket, yet he remains tight-lipped about how he made money without airing advertisements on most U.S. radio stations he collaborated with, nor has he disclosed the source of funds for leasing airtime on these radio stations.
In 2013, the Chinese government presented James Su with a special contribution award at the global Chinese-language broadcasting network’s annual conference.
In 2020, the U.S. State Department categorized the China International Broadcasting Station (CRI) in the U.S. as a “diplomatic mission,” and in 2022, G&E was compelled to register with the Justice Department as a “foreign agent.”
The mystery of James Su’s wealth and the source of his radio lease funds unraveled in the registration documents G&E submitted to the Justice Department. The documents showed that since its founding in 2009, G&E had been “selling” airtime for Chinese programs provided by CRI, which were in line with the Chinese government’s ideology and propaganda goals, airing about 10 hours of Chinese programming daily by 2018, portraying positive, non-critical views of China in news and cultural content.
Between 2016 and 2018, G&E received over $20 million in funding from CRI, used to lease multiple radio stations across the U.S., with annual revenues ranging from approximately $785,900 to $646,500 to $572,700 during those three years, reaching major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Houston, among others.
G&E acted as an intermediary broker. For instance, they leased airtime on Atlanta’s WJTP AM890 radio station for $653,000 and resold it to China Radio International (CRI) for $895,000, generating a profit of $242,000 in a year.
From 2016 to 2018, operational expenses for G&E totaled approximately $15.139 million. Thus, from 2016 to 2018, reselling airtime to CRI brought in about $4.86 million in profits. The profits earned from 2009 to 2016 remain unknown as the records only go back to 2016. By the end of 2018, G&E claimed to have terminated all collaborations and ceased broadcasting content on behalf of foreign principals.
However, according to a Reuters analysis of U.S. company records, property, taxes, and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) records in 2015, the tycoon was already in possession or shared ownership of over $15 million in real estate and broadcast assets, including Eagle Dragon Media and American City Broadcasting Television Stations, four apartment buildings, a condo in Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, and a charity that donated $230,000 to a Chinese orphanage.
Recently, in a Reddit discussion about whether “Chinese radio stations still broadcast English content to the U.S.,” a user pointed out that it has “noticeably decreased since 2022” and “now only poor-quality signals from Cuba remain.” It is worth noting that 2022 was the time when G&E was required to register as a “foreign agent.”
However, shortwave radio remains a crucial battlefield for Chinese propaganda. According to data from short-wave.info, on June 4, 2025, globally, there were still over 565 CRI shortwave frequencies and 504 CNR (Central People’s Radio) frequencies operational, far exceeding BBC’s 146 frequencies.
With the transformation of the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda strategies, this silent ideological confrontation has transcended the realm of radio and penetrated daily audiovisual and digital platforms. Social media platforms, content farms, podcasts, and local community media have become the next frontier for “exporting the Chinese perspective.”
In 2018, China Central Television, Central People’s Radio, and CRI merged into the “Central Broadcasting and Television General Station,” under the supervision of the Propaganda Department. By the end of 2021, CRI’s English channel was renamed “CGTN Radio” and placed under China Global Television Network (CGTN), running parallel to “CRI Online.”
Since 2019, CGTN has been registered as a “foreign agent” in the U.S., heavily investing in Washington and California to produce programs, rent frequencies for rebroadcasting, and conduct public relations operations. Registration documents show that in just one year in 2024, CGTN (registered as CCTV) allocated up to $114 million to Washington-based MediaLinks, claiming to provide a “non-Western centric” reporting perspective, collaborating with institutions like NBC, CNN, Reuters, AP, and AFP, managing websites and social media platforms.
Furthermore, in 2022, CGTN signed a deal with California-based Lang Si Media Group (WCETV, Silver Vision Network) for approximately $1.144 million annually to license content for rebroadcasting and rented Chicago’s WOCK TV channel for airing (source). According to the contract terms, CGTN paid WCETV approximately $486,000 and $334,000 in June 2024 and January 2025, respectively, to broadcast their programs on WOCK TV.
In this subtle infiltration, the public’s media literacy becomes the first line of defense against cognitive penetration. Reflecting on comments from Reddit listeners, one wrote, “I enjoy the ability I have cultivated to filter and organize propaganda content from multiple sources, attempting to piece together information that may approach the truth.”
Another cautioned, “Just like everything else, you must maintain a critical thinking ability.”