Big Take Asia

Latest Episodes:

The World Is Paying for Trump’s China Tariffs Mar 25, 2025

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Trump's tariffs on China are causing a lot of pain around the world. Products that would've gone to the US are now pouring into other countries, leading to factory closures and layoffs. And this is likely to increase after April 2, when President Trump has promised to put in place a new set of tariffs.

On today’s episode of the Big Take, Katia Dmitrieva joins David Gura to talk about the collateral damage from Trump’s trade war with China.

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US-China Rivalry in the Trump Era: A Discussion Mar 21, 2025

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If US-China relations could be compared to a dish, what would it be? Sichuan hotpot? Sweet and sour pork? In a special episode of the Big Take Asia podcast, a panel of Bloomberg experts examines how the world's superpowers have been slugging it out since Donald Trump started his second stint as US president.

Join host K. Oanh Ha as she sits down with Bloomberg’s John Liu and Nancy Cook, and Opinion’s Shuli Ren and Timothy O’Brien for a discussion recorded live in Singapore.

Further listening:

Xi’s Big Challenge Is Getting People to Spend, Spend, Spend
China’s New Game Plan for Dealing With Trump Tariffs

Watch, from Originals: What Trump's Tariffs Mean for the World Economy

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Can’t Get Enough Of Matcha? Too Bad – Japan Is Running Low Mar 18, 2025

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Japan has a matcha shortage despite record levels of production. Shops are selling out of the green tea powder as soon as they hit the shelves.

On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg's Mia Glass about the world’s obsession with matcha – and why producers can’t keep up with the rising demand.

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China’s Power Play In the Indian Ocean Mar 11, 2025

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Mauritius and neighboring islands in the Indian Ocean are at the center of a great-power chess match involving the US, China and India. All want to use them as bases to protect shipping lanes and project military might in the region.

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha is joined by Bloomberg correspondent Peter Martin to discuss the power struggle, and the implications of China’s growing clout in the region.

Further listening: The Shadowy Fleet of Tankers Moving Iranian Oil to China

Watch, from Originals: China’s Power Play In the Indian Ocean

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Xi’s Big Challenge Is Getting People to Spend, Spend, Spend Mar 06, 2025

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A crippling property crisis, mounting debt, weak consumer spending… and now a trade war. Despite the headwinds, China has set an ambitious economic growth goal of about 5% this year.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks to Bloomberg’s John Liu about how Xi Jinping intends to meet the target, and how Trump’s tariff war might sabotage his plans.

Further listening:

China’s New Game Plan For Dealing With Trump Tariffs
Xi Has Embraced China’s Tech Titans Once Again. Will It Last?

Watch, from Originals: Can China Avoid Japan’s Lost Decades?

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Xi Has Embraced China’s Tech Titans Once Again. Will It Last? Feb 25, 2025

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Four years after launching a regulatory crackdown that plunged the tech sector into turmoil, China’s President Xi Jinping sat down publicly with Alibaba Group’s co-founder Jack Ma, whose firm bore the brunt of that campaign, and a number of other tech titans.

On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Lucille Liu and Opinion columnist Catherine Thorbecke about Xi’s shifting stance and where the tech industry goes from here.

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How Amazon Rival Temu Got Sucked Into Trump’s Trade War Feb 18, 2025

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Since its US launch in 2022, Chinese marketplace Temu has rapidly risen to become America’s biggest e-commerce platform after Amazon, thanks to ultra-low prices on almost every product imaginable.

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks to Bloomberg’s Spencer Soper and Rachel Chang about Donald Trump’s order to close a tariff loophole and what it means for American shoppers and the giants supplying them with goods direct from China.

Further listening: The Tariff Wars Are Here — And They’re Messy

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What Thailand's Same-Sex Marriage Victory Means for the Economy Feb 14, 2025

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Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to recognize same-sex marriage last month. And to mark the occasion, nearly 2,000 couples tied the knot on the first day the law came into effect.

In this bonus episode of the Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks to a lesbian couple who were among the first in the country to get married that day and to Bloomberg reporter Patpicha Tanakasempipat on what the landmark law change means for equality in the country and the nation’s economic growth.

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China’s New Game Plan for Dealing With Trump Tariffs Feb 11, 2025

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As US President Donald Trump imposes new tariffs on China, Xi Jinping's government has had a far more muted response than it did during the trade war in Trump’s first term.

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha is joined by Bloomberg editor Jenni Marsh and Bloomberg Opinion columnist Shuli Ren to unpack China’s response to Trump’s barrage of tariffs and discuss what’s at risk for both countries if they find themselves in another trade war.

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Why Are Chinese Consumers So Keen on Gold? Jan 28, 2025

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Shuibei, in southern China, is home to one of the world's biggest retail markets for gold. Over the past year, it's seen a boom in demand for the jewelry, sold by thousands of stallholders, as the Chinese property crisis and slowing economy spurred a flight into gold. So much so that Chinese consumers helped propel the global gold price to record highs in 2024.

On today's Big Take Asia podcast, K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg's Chongjing Li about the enduring appeal of the precious metal in China, and what lies ahead.

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