Radio Taiwan International (RTI)

Established in 1928 as the Central Broadcasting System (CBS), Radio Taiwan International originated as the mouthpiece of the Kuomintang (KMT) government based in Nanjing. Amid the convulsions of the Second Sino‑Japanese War, both the capital and the station were compelled to relocate first to Hankou and later to Chongqing. After the war, and following the renewed civil conflict, CBS journeyed with the KMT to Taiwan in 1949.

Through several incarnations—Voice of Free China, Radio Taipei International, and Voice of Asia—the station ultimately rebranded as Radio Taiwan International in the late 1990s, settling on its current name in 2002 to better reflect its national identity.

Today, RTI broadcasts globally in 14 languages, including Mandarin, Taiwanese Minnan, Hakka, Cantonese, English, Japanese, German, French, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, and Korean, and delivers its content across shortwave, internet streaming, podcasts, and social media platforms.

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Media assets

Radio: Radio Taiwan International

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State Media Matrix Typology

Independent State Funded and State Managed (ISFM)

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Ownership and governance

RTI was instituted under the Radio Taiwan International Establishment Act and was initially under the purview of the Government Information Office, an entity dissolved in 2012, with its responsibilities redistributed to various ministries. Today, RTI is a government‑owned broadcaster, held accountable to Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture.

RTI’s leadership comprises a Board of Directors (11–15 members) and a Supervisory Board (3–5 members), all appointed by the government, with approximately half serving as government representatives. The Supervisory Board is singularly charged with overseeing RTI’s financial performance.

Cheryl Lai currently serves as the Chairperson of RTI and was officially reconfirmed in this role in February 2025 following a board meeting. Lai brings over 30 years of experience in media and cultural affairs across Taiwan and Hong Kong. Her career includes roles as Editor-in-Chief of the Central News Agency, Director of Cultural Affairs at Taiwan’s UK Representative Office, and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Taiwan News. She was also President of RTI from 2003 to 2006 and is a consultant for the Cultural Taiwan Foundation.

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Source of funding and budget

Primarily financed through government subsidies, RTI also supplements its income by renting airtime, sometimes at the expense of editorial autonomy, as third-party producers wield full control over content in such arrangements.

According to figures submitted by the company to a certification body, its total annual revenue is estimated at approximately TWD 500 million. Government subsidies account for roughly 80–85% of this sum, with the remaining 15–20% derived from donations and service-related income. No specific data for 2024–2025, nor any projections for 2026 revenues, profits, or income, have been made public.

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Editorial independence

While RTI occasionally faces criticism over perceived impartiality, it is generally regarded as enjoying substantial editorial autonomy. No credible evidence of direct governmental interference has surfaced in recent assessments.

August 2025