Radio jamming in China
Encyclopedia
Radio jamming in the People's Republic of China
is a form of media censorship
that involves deliberate attempts by state or Communist Party
organs to interfere with radio broadcasts. In most instances, radio jamming targets foreign broadcasters, including (but not limited to) Voice of America
, Radio Free Asia
and the BBC World Service
, as well as stations based in Taiwan
.
disrupts shortwave radio communications through this method, typically by broadcasting music, drumming, or other noise. On shortwave, the jamming sound is composed of Chinese folk music, specifically a composition known as The Firedrake, running about 1 hour in duration. The 60 min audio clip is broadcast over spread spectrum throughout almost the entire shortwave radio band. It is being streamed though the "Sat 6B" that was launched in 2007.
The French defense electronics company Thales Group
has been accused of aiding Chinese censorship efforts by selling shortwave broadcasting equipment to Chinese authorities. The firm has responded that the sale of equipment was intended for civil purposes.
reported that "that virtually all of VOA's and RFA's shortwave radio transmissions directed to China [...] are jammed," including their Mandarin
, Cantonese
, Tibetan
, and Uyghur
language services.
In 2008, the Oslo
-based Voice of Tibet
reported that jamming of its radio communications intensified during the 2008 Tibetan unrest
, as authorities increased the number of disrupted signals it employed to block outside transmissions.
Other targets for jamming include the BBC World Service, and Sound of Hope
radio network.
and Ultrasurf
, to enable their Chinese audience to access their programs online.
Broadcasters have also sought to educate their audiences on the use of anti-jamming technology.
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
is a form of media censorship
Censorship in the People's Republic of China
Censorship in the People's Republic of China is implemented or mandated by the PRC's ruling party, the Communist Party of China . The special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau have their own legal systems and are largely self-governing, so these censorship policies do not apply...
that involves deliberate attempts by state or Communist Party
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
organs to interfere with radio broadcasts. In most instances, radio jamming targets foreign broadcasters, including (but not limited to) Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
, Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation that operates a radio station and Internet news service. RFA was founded by an act of the US Congress and is operated by the Broadcasting Board of Governors . The RFA is supported in part by grants from the federal government of the United States...
and the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
, as well as stations based in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
Methods
Radio jamming is achieved by transmitting radio signals on the same frequency as the intended target. The government of the People's Republic of ChinaGovernment of the People's Republic of China
All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...
disrupts shortwave radio communications through this method, typically by broadcasting music, drumming, or other noise. On shortwave, the jamming sound is composed of Chinese folk music, specifically a composition known as The Firedrake, running about 1 hour in duration. The 60 min audio clip is broadcast over spread spectrum throughout almost the entire shortwave radio band. It is being streamed though the "Sat 6B" that was launched in 2007.
The French defense electronics company Thales Group
Thales Group
The Thales Group is a French electronics company delivering information systems and services for the aerospace, defense, transportation and security markets...
has been accused of aiding Chinese censorship efforts by selling shortwave broadcasting equipment to Chinese authorities. The firm has responded that the sale of equipment was intended for civil purposes.
Targets
Since broadcasting began in 1996, Chinese authorities have consistently jammed Radio Free Asia broadcasts. In 2002, the Broadcasting Board of GovernorsBroadcasting Board of Governors
The Broadcasting Board of Governors is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for all non-military, international broadcasting sponsored by the U.S government. It was previously a department within the United States Information Agency until 1999.-Origins:Starting in...
reported that "that virtually all of VOA's and RFA's shortwave radio transmissions directed to China [...] are jammed," including their Mandarin
Mandarin
-Officials:* Mandarin , a bureaucrat of Imperial China , Vietnam, and by analogy, any senior government bureaucrat-Language:...
, Cantonese
Cantonese
Cantonese is a dialect spoken primarily in south China.Cantonese may also refer to:* Yue Chinese, the Chinese language that includes Cantonese* Cantonese cuisine, the cuisine of Guangdong province...
, Tibetan
Tibetan language
The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
, and Uyghur
Uyghur language
Uyghur , formerly known as Eastern Turk, is a Turkic language with 8 to 11 million speakers, spoken primarily by the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of Western China. Significant communities of Uyghur-speakers are located in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and various other...
language services.
In 2008, the Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
-based Voice of Tibet
Voice of Tibet
Voice of Tibet is an independent radio station based in Norway transmitting shortwave radio programmes in the Tibetan language as well as Mandarin Chinese. The station began broadcasting on 14 May, 1996 and was founded by three Norwegian NGOs: Norwegian Human Rights House, The Norwegian Tibet...
reported that jamming of its radio communications intensified during the 2008 Tibetan unrest
2008 Tibetan unrest
The 2008 Tibetan unrest, also known from its Chinese name as the 3•14 Riots, was a series of riots, protests, and demonstrations that started in Tibetan regional capital of Lhasa and spread to other Tibetan areas and a number of monasteries including outside the Tibet Autonomous Region...
, as authorities increased the number of disrupted signals it employed to block outside transmissions.
Other targets for jamming include the BBC World Service, and Sound of Hope
Sound of Hope
Sound of Hope is a global, non-profit provider of radio news, cultural programming, talk shows and commentaries. SOH was established by Chinese immigrants in the United States in June 2003 and now has operating teams spread across North and South America, Asia, Australia and Europe...
radio network.
Response
In 2011, some international radio broadcasters, including the BBC and VOA, announced plans to scale down or close their Mandarin shortwave service for China due to spending cuts and frustrations caused by jamming efforts BBC and VOA instead chose to invest more heavily in internet radio; both received financial support from the U.S. Department of State to fund and research internet censorship-circumvention software, such as FreegateFreegate
Freegate is software that enables internet users from mainland China, Syria, Iran, Vietnam and United Arab Emirates, among others, to view websites blocked by their governments. The program takes advantage of a range of open proxies, which allow users to penetrate firewalls used to block web sites....
and Ultrasurf
Ultrasurf
Ultrasurf is a free Internet censorship circumvention product of Ultrareach Internet Corporation.-Operation:The software works by creating an encrypted HTTP tunnel between the user’s computer and a central pool of proxy servers, enabling users to bypass firewalls and censorship...
, to enable their Chinese audience to access their programs online.
Broadcasters have also sought to educate their audiences on the use of anti-jamming technology.