Big Take Asia

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China Tightens Its Grip on Billions in Offshore Wealth Jun 09, 2026

Show notes

Offshore trading has long given Chinese investors access to global markets — often through legal gray areas. Now, Beijing is stepping in with its biggest crackdown in decades.

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg’s Lulu Chen about the sweeping restrictions and why Beijing is tightening controls over money leaving the country. We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.

Hosted by K. Oanh Ha; Produced by Naomi Ng, Yang Yang; Reported by Lulu Chen; Edited by Paddy Hirsch.

Fact-checking by Rachael Lewis-Krisky, Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Taka Yasuzawa.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

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Huge AI Bonuses Spark South Korea Tech Wealth Fight Jun 02, 2026

Show notes

Samsung recently made headlines when it narrowly averted a strike by offering eye-popping bonuses to its chip workers. But the move has seemingly backfired—sparking deep resentment in other corners of the company and fueling a wider debate over wage equity in South Korea.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha and Bloomberg’s Yoolim Lee break down how the wage dispute took hold in South Korea and discuss its broader global implications as other tech giants weigh how best to share the spoils of their AI windfalls.

Hosted by Oanh Ha; Produced by Yang Yang; Reported by Yoolim Lee; Edited by Patrick Hirsch, Edwin Chan.

Fact-checking by Naomi Ng; Engineering by Taka Yasuzawa

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

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Indonesia’s $15 Billion Free Lunch Experiment May 26, 2026

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Indonesia’s free lunch program is a massive operation, feeding tens of millions of people every day across a vast archipelago.
On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host Rebecca Choong Wilkins talks with Bloomberg’s Rosalind Mathieson about the challenges facing President Prabowo’s flagship program and whether it can survive the strain.

Hosted by Rebecca Choong Wilkins; Produced by Naomi Ng; Reported by Rosalind Mathieson, Eko Listiyorini; Edited by Paddy Hirsch.

Fact-checking by Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver; Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

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Weekend Listen: China vs the US: Kishore Mahbubani on a Zero-Sum Rivalry May 24, 2026

Show notes

Beyond this month's talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, there’s an epic tale that has been unfolding for decades. It’s a battle to be the world’s number one power and a much bigger story than the latest meeting of these two men.
Kishore Mahbubani is a former Singaporean diplomat who served as president of the United Nations Security Council. For two decades, he has argued that the West fundamentally misunderstands the rise of China and its challenge to American supremacy.
Mahbubani, who eventually turned to academia, now specializes in governance and public policy. In this conversation with Mishal Husain, he traces the story behind the Xi-Trump talks, the handshakes and the social media posts–and what may lie ahead.
Mahbubani also reveals how his own successes were made possible by Singapore’s remarkable growth.

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SoftBank’s $60 Billion OpenAI Bet Sparks Concerns May 19, 2026

Show notes

SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has made a $60 billion bet on OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman – a commitment that has some insiders worried.

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg’s Min-Jeong Lee about how Son became captivated by Altman and what’s at stake for his reputation – and the company – as the AI race intensifies.

We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.

Watch, from Originals: The Troubled Saga of Masa Son's $100 Billion Fund

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The Biggest Takeaways from the Trump-Xi Summit May 15, 2026

Show notes

Tensions between the US and China have deepened since the last time a US president traveled to Beijing for a summit, in 2017. President Trump’s return to China, in a swirl of dinners and festivities, generated positive optics for host and guest alike, but brought less apparent progress on some of the biggest bilateral sticking points, from tariffs and trade to US arms sales to Taiwan.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Big Take Asia host K. Oanh Ha talks to Co-head for Asia John Liu and White House Correspondent Jeff Mason, who were both on the ground in Beijing, about the summit’s deals, sticking points and unfinished business.

We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.

Hosted by K. Oanh Ha; Produced by Yang Yang and Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Reported by Jeff Mason and John Liu; Edited by Jeffrey Grocott.

Fact-checking by Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

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Modi Is More Powerful Than Ever — Even as India’s Economy Strains May 12, 2026

Show notes

Despite India facing economic headwinds, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party defied expectations with a stunning state election sweep — capped by a historic win in opposition stronghold West Bengal.

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks to Bloomberg’s Menaka Doshi about how the BJP secured a shock victory and what an emboldened Modi might mean for India and the world.

We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.

Hosted by K. Oanh Ha; Produced by Naomi Ng, Yang Yang; Reported by Menaka Doshi; Edited by Paddy Hirsch.

Fact-checking by Rachael Lewis-Krisky, Yang Yang; Engineering by Taka Yasuzawa.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver; Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Weekend Listen: Will the Xi-Trump Summit Be Over Before It Starts? May 10, 2026

Show notes

As a high-stakes Trump–Xi summit looms, tensions over the Iran war and defiance of US sanctions threaten to derail what could be one of the year’s most consequential meetings. On Trumponomics, Bloomberg's Stephanie Flanders is joined by Jennifer Welch, chief geoeconomics analyst for Bloomberg Economics and Bloomberg News executive editor Dan Ten Kate to unpack whether the talks will happen—and what’s really at stake for the global economy if they do.

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Why China Blocked Meta’s $2 Billion Acquisition of Manus AI May 05, 2026

Show notes

China’s decision to block Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus stunned the global AI industry.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg’s Newley Purnell and Lulu Chen about how the deal crumbled and what it signals for Chinese startups trying to go global.

Hosted by K. Oanh Ha; Produced by Yang Yang and Naomi Ng; Reported by Newley Purnell and Lulu Chen; Edited by Paddy Hirsch.

Fact-checking by Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Weekend Listen: Writer Amitav Ghosh on Why India Has Lost Its Way May 03, 2026

Show notes

For more than 30 years, the Indian-born writer Amitav Ghosh has built a global following with novels that draw on deep historical research.

But his latest offering, Ghost-Eye, is more esoteric. The plot moves back and forth between India and the US, using past lives to explore the ties between the personal and the political.

The plot centers on a psychiatrist treating a 3-year-old who shocks her family by insisting she remembers a past life in a fishing community.

In this conversation with Mishal Husain, Ghosh explains why he’s finding it harder to write nowadays, how the memories of his childhood came flooding back during the Covid pandemic, why he sees capitalism as an obstacle to protecting the environment and thinks India has lost its way diplomatically.

Read this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interview
We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.

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