Big Take Asia

China’s property crisis has become a massive headache for the world’s second-largest economy. Tens of millions of newly built apartments lie vacant, home prices have tumbled and cash-strapped developers are struggling to finish construction.   On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Lulu Chen about what China is doing to try and solve its housing crisis. We go to Zhengzhou, home to the world’s biggest iPhone factory and the city where the housing market first imploded. It's now become a testing ground for government efforts to revive the ailing property sector. We look at whether they’re working, and what it will mean for China’s economy if the big push fails.  Read more: China’s Housing Rescue Falls Short in City That Signaled the Crisis Further listening: What Comes Next in China’s Property CrisisSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

South Korea’s family-run conglomerates – or chaebols – have been big drivers of economic growth, and because of that they’ve largely been seen as untouchable. Until now. The chaebols are being challenged, at a time when the stakes have potentially never been higher, with the country mired in political turmoil. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, Rebecca Choong Wilkins talks to Bloomberg reporter Youkyung Lee about how a surprise takeover bid for one of the world’s biggest refined metal producers, Korea Zinc, is sending a chill through the chaebol world. Read more: Powerful Families Who Dominate South Korea Face an Investor Revolt Further listening: The Six Hours of Martial Law That Stunned South KoreaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an address broadcast live on Tuesday night, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in a move that shocked the nation – and the world. But within hours, after lawmakers unanimously rejected the move and protesters converged on parliament, Yoon went on live television again and backed down, promising to lift the emergency measure. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha sits down with Bloomberg’s Sam Kim in Seoul to break down the stunning turn of events. They talk about what happened on the ground during the brief period of martial law, and what the political chaos means for an emerging democracy that remains a key military ally and trading partner of the US. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India’s Gautam Adani, one of the world’s richest men, was charged last week by US prosecutors over his alleged involvement in a $250 million bribery scheme. The indictment sent the stocks and bonds of Adani’s vast conglomerate tumbling and is the second governance crisis to hit the group in two years. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha and Bloomberg’s Menaka Doshi discuss what the charges mean for Adani’s empire and corporate India, and the implications for US-India relations. Read more: Gautam Adani Bribery Charges Impact His Net Worth, Markets Beyond IndiaFurther listening: $200 Billion, Four Heirs And One Mighty EmpireSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every year, billions of dollars of sanctioned Iranian oil finds its way to China, even though on paper the country hasn’t imported a single drop in more than two years. How? On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks to Bloomberg’s Serene Cheong on her team’s investigation into a clandestine shipping hub off the coast of Malaysia that funnels Iranian crude to China. Read more: The Clandestine Oil Shipping Hub Funneling Iranian Crude to ChinaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Higher tariffs. Geopolitical flare-ups. Inflammatory comments. All across Asia, countries are bracing for the return of Donald Trump. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, we unpack what a second Trump term means for China, India and other Asian economies – who are the potential winners and losers and what’s ahead. Host K. Oanh Ha is joined by Daniel Ten Kate, Bloomberg’s executive editor for Asia economy and government, Chan Heng Chee, the ambassador-at-large with the Singapore Foreign Ministry, and Erin Murphy, deputy director of Chair on India and Emerging Asia Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Read more: Trump Is Set to Elevate China Hawks, Deepening Beijing RiftFurther listening: The Economic Impact of Trump’s Promises Become a Bloomberg.com subscriber using our special intro offer at bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. You’ll get episodes of this podcast ad-free and unlock access to deep reporting, data and analysis from reporters around the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A record number of Pakistanis are leaving at a rapid speed. Among them are some of the country’s top talent including doctors, engineers, accountants and managers. Over the last three years, one million skilled workers like them have left Pakistan. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host Rebecca Choong Wilkins talks to Bloomberg’s Pakistan Bureau Chief Faseeh Mangi about what’s behind the severe brain drain in one of the world’s most populous nations, where the immigrants are going, and what it means for the country’s already fragile economy that depends on loans from the International Monetary Fund. Read more: Pakistan’s Top Talent Is Leaving the Country in Record Numbers Watch, from Bloomberg Originals:What’s Driving Pakistan’s Middle Class Brain Drain? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China is making steady progress in its quest to dominate key industries of the future, despite years of US tariffs, export controls and sanctions. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Rebecca Choong Wilkins about how the US is struggling to curb Beijing’s technological advances, and whether the upcoming election could change the dynamic. Read more: US Efforts to Contain Xi’s Push for Tech Supremacy Are Faltering Further listening: How China’s BYD Became King of the Affordable EV On Thursday, Odd Lots will dig into Bloomberg’s research on the Made in China plan, and why it largely succeeded in spite of US efforts. Subscribe here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Started as a battery company in the 1990s in Shenzhen, BYD is now one of the best-selling EV brands in the world. Once mocked by Elon Musk, the company’s startling growth made it a global player and has sparked tariffs in the US and EU. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Gabrielle Coppola and Danny Lee about the company’s aggressive expansion and what it means for the global auto market. Read more: BYD Is Winning the Global Race to Make Cheaper EVsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vietnamese real estate tycoon Truong My Lan was convicted in April of orchestrating a $12.3 billion fraud. She was sentenced to death by lethal injection, which she is appealing. And this week, the court is expected to hand down another verdict on additional charges. On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks to Bloomberg’s John Boudreau about how Lan was able to embezzle so much money for so long, how she went from riches to death row and what her multibillion fraud case means for one of the fastest growing economies in Asia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adrian Cheng, the third-generation scion of property dynasty New World Development, seemed poised to take over his family’s $20 billion empire. But last month, in a surprising twist, he was replaced as CEO by someone outside of his family. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Shawna Kwan about the succession drama at New World, the possible ripple effects on other family dynasties in the region, and what it all could mean for the future of one of Hong Kong’s major property developers. Read more: New World Scion’s Fall Upends Succession at $23 Billion DynastyFurther listening: $200 Billion, Four Heirs and One Might Indian EmpireSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With relations between Washington and Beijing at a critical point, US Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz’s time in China has come under scrutiny from Republicans. Walz first went to China as a teacher in 1989 after the Tiananmen Square military crackdown. Over the years, he continued to return to China, even spending his honeymoon there. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Daniel Ten Kate and Professor Li Cheng from the University of Hong Kong about what Walz’s track record on China could mean should the Democrats win the election – and whether Walz’s ties with the country would be an asset or liability. Update: During the vice presidential debate on October 1st, Democratic candidate Tim Walz said he misspoke about being in Hong Kong on June 4, 1989. That’s when the Tiananmen Square protests turned deadly. He didn’t clarify his whereabouts at the time and said that he was in Hong Kong and China in the summer of that year. Walz has also said he’s traveled to China about 30 times. A Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson said the number of trips Walz took to China is “likely closer to 15.” We’ve updated the episode to reflect these updates. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Talk of de-dollarization has been gaining momentum among China, India, Brazil, Russia and South Africa in the wake of significant US led sanctions on Russia. Former US President and candidate Donald Trump has said the currency is under attack — and that any country that shuns it would face new tariffs on imports if he is elected. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Saleha Mohsin about the unique role the dollar plays in the world economy — and what, if anything, could replace it. Read more: The Dollar’s Dominance, ExplainedFurther listening: Odd Lots Podcast – How the US Dollar Became an International Weapon of WarSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China’s drive to upgrade its struggling economy has left millions of people facing job losses or pay cuts, fueling an existential crisis among some of its best and brightest workers. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg's Lulu Chen about the impact Xi Jinping’s push is having on professionals, from banking to tech, and what this anxiety could mean for the outlook of the world’s second-largest economy. Read more: China’s CICC Demotes Senior Bankers, Cuts Pay to Slash CostsFurther listening: Why China’s Investment Bankers Are Breaking Up With Capitalism What Does China’s Economic Slowdown Mean For the Communist Party?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Indonesia has embarked on an ambitious project to build a new capital city from scratch because Jakarta is overcrowded, polluted and sinking, fast. But the multibillion dollar new city, Nusantara, was plagued with problems from the very start. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Faris Mokhtar about what went wrong, and what’s at stake for Southeast Asia’s largest economy if it fails.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They caused global markets to seize up – and raised serious questions about just how much money was at stake. No, we’re not talking about Nvidia’s earnings. Or the US jobs report. We’re talking about carry trades – an obscure part of international markets that’s suddenly less obscure. On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, the Bloomberg Explains series continues with Bloomberg Opinion columnist Shuli Ren. She tells hosts K. Oanh Ha and David Gura about how the yen carry trade became so popular with big banks to small-time investors, what went wrong during the August markets rout and how soup dumplings are key to understanding why carry trades shouldn’t work … but do. Read more: How Big Is the Yen Carry Trade, Really?Further listening: Odd Lots Podcast - BloombergWatch, from Bloomberg Originals: Why Japan’s Yen is So VolatileSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Call centers in the Philippines, the world’s second-biggest outsourcing center after India, are embracing artificial intelligence - and it’s radically changing what it looks and sounds like to work there. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host Rebecca Choong Wilkins demos the Sanas AI app and talks to Bloomberg's Saritha Rai about the industry's rapid transition and what it might mean for workers around the world. Read more: The World's Call Center Capital Is Gripped by AI Fever — and FearSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Chinese businessman persuaded officials to establish a special economic zone in a remote part of Laos. The gamblers arrived first. Then came the drug runners, human traffickers and scammers.On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg Businessweek editor Matt Campbell about his investigation into the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone and how it became a criminal’s paradise. Read more: Dodge CityWatch, from Bloomberg Originals: How One Man Rules in Asia's Golden TriangleSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After weeks of protests and a brutal crackdown that led to several hundred deaths, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to step down and flee the country, putting an abrupt end to her more than 15 years in power. Stepping into the leadership vacuum is Nobel Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus, who we spoke to last month -- when he was facing charges that his supporters said were trumped up by Hasina. Today on The Big Take Asia, host K. Oanh Ha speaks to Bloomberg’s Kai Schultz about what drove the student-led uprising and Hasina’s downfall, Yunus’s surprising turn to politics, and what’s at stake for one of Asia’s most promising economies. Read more: Yunus Cleared in Graft Case After Becoming Bangladesh Leader Further listening: Why This Nobel Prize Winner Faces Life Imprisonment in BangladeshSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gautam Adani, the controversial Indian billionaire, gathered his two sons and two nephews for a family lunch one day and asked them a bombshell question: Did they want to carve up the Adani Group’s sprawling businesses between themselves and part ways? Or did they want to stick together? He gave them three months to decide. Today on The Big Take Asia, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg editor Anto Antony about the Adanis’ ambitious succession plan, in the wake of regulatory probes and a daring short-seller attack. We also hear from the Adanis themselves on their vision of an Adani Group without Gautam at the helm, how they’ll make decisions to manage an empire – which spans everything from airports to solar farms – and what's at stake for India’s $3.5 trillion economy.Read more: Adani Unveils $213 Billion Succession Plan as Scrutiny PersistsFurther listening: The Rise of Modi: Why India’s Leader Is So Popular – and PolarizingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Costs are rising in Japan and small businesses risk being squeezed into oblivion if they don’t figure out how to raise their prices. After decades of deflation, many small Japanese companies are out of practice on exactly how to do it. Today on The Big Take Asia, host Rebecca Choong Wilkins talks to Bloomberg senior editor Reed Stevenson about a class he visited where people are relearning the long-lost skill of negotiation, and what a failure to raise prices at these small businesses – which make up 90% of the economy – could mean for Japan’s future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is K-pop even K-pop without the K? A Bloomberg analysis of song lyrics shows that for the first time, almost half of K-pop songs released this year have majority English lyrics. On today’s podcast, host Sarah Holder speaks with Bloomberg reporter Sohee Kim about the genre’s identity shift and why industry efforts to grow its global audience might mean fewer Korean band members.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus pioneered micro loans as a tool to fight poverty. Now prosecutors in Bangladesh have linked him and his colleagues to a dizzying number of crimes, including embezzlement and laundering millions of dollars. Today on The Big Take Asia, host K. Oanh Ha speaks to Bloomberg’s Kai Schultz about the complicated saga and what implications Yunus’s case has for Bangladesh, one of the fastest growing economies. We also hear from Yunus himself, who talks about the rift between him and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and the personal impact of the legal drama. Read more: Why the Nobel-Laureate Pioneer of Microfinance Risks Life in Jail Big Money Backs Tiny Loans That Lead to Debt, Despair and Even SuicideSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China’s Luckin Coffee is the nation’s top coffee retailer, overtaking even Starbucks. That would be notable itself, but less than 4 years ago the company filed for bankruptcy, making its comeback even more unlikely. The turnaround is in part thanks to the chain’s automated stores, cut-price deals and innovative drinks that appeal to local tastes. Today on The Big Take Asia, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg’s Rachel Chang on how Luckin managed to turn around its failing business to overtake Starbucks, and asks whether it can hold on to its success as coffee takes off in China, and more rivals emerge. Read more: China’s Luckin Coffee Is Back From the Brink and Beating Starbucks Further listening: What Does China’s Economic Slowdown Mean For the Communist Party? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One after another, bankers at China International Capital Corporation — China’s premier investment bank – are pledging loyalty to the Communist Party, underscoring a new reality for Wall Street-style capitalists in the era of Xi Jinping.Today on the Big Take Asia, host David Gura speaks with Bloomberg’s Cathy Chan about the tug-of-war between communism and capitalism at the “Morgan Stanley of China,” and how politics are redefining Chinese finance.Read More: China’s Investment Bankers Join the Communist Party as Morale (and Paychecks) ShrinkFurther listening: What Does China’s Economic Slowdown Mean For the Communist Party?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Four years after Beijing imposed a national security law on the city, Hong Kong continues to serve as an important financial hub connecting mainland China with the rest of the world. But beneath the surface, the consequences of the crackdown are far-reaching.Today on the Big Take Asia, ahead of the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg’s China editor Alan Wong about how Beijing is reshaping Hong Kong, its impact on the city’s residents and what that means for Hong Kong’s future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Indonesia’s nickel business is booming. The metal is a key component in electric car batteries, but its success has a dark side: the country’s nickel mines and processing plants have a history of fatal accidents, with workers being run over by forklifts and burnt to death in smelter fires. Today on The Big Take Asia, host Janet Paskin speaks with Bloomberg Businessweek editor Matt Campbell about his investigation into the mines. He found that nickel sourced from these plants are present in the supply chain that feeds virtually every major seller of EVs, and is an indispensable part of the car industry’s green revolution.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reports of alleged imposters are cropping up more and more in the family office frenzy in Singapore and Hong Kong. The ultra wealthy use family offices to manage their finances and affairs. Today on The Big Take Asia, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg investing reporter David Ramli about the secretive nature of the family office industry and why scammers are so hard to spot. Plus, she hears from Medway Investment board director Eric SayWei Neo about how people like him are becoming amateur detectives to try to weed out suspected imposters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party lost its majority in India’s parliament. The stunning blow is forcing Modi to rely on allies to form a government for the first time since he stormed to power a decade ago. On today’s episode of The Big Take Asia, host K. Oanh Ha digs into India’s 2024 general election results with Bloomberg reporter Sudhi Ranjan Sen on the ground in New Delhi. And Milan Vaishnav, senior fellow and director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, delves into what the results mean for both India and the world. Read more: India Election ResultsTo hear more from Milan Vaishnav listen to his podcast, Grand Tamasha.To hear more about our coverage of Narendra Modi, listen to our series, The Rise of Modi. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors were shut down after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. As the country's energy needs soar, debate is heating up over whether to bring the world’s largest nuclear plant back online. On today’s episode of The Big Take Asia, host K. Oanh Ha speaks to Bloomberg reporter Shoko Oda about her visit to the Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant and the challenges to rebooting it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After four decades of unparalleled gains in income and wealth, China’s 1.4 billion have been hit by a series of blows: a real estate collapse, a trade war with the US, and a crackdown on entrepreneurs have stalled the country’s prosperity engine. On today’s episode of The Big Take Asia, host K. Oanh Ha dives into how China’s slowing economy is affecting people on the ground, and how Beijing is responding to that shift. Ha talks to Bloomberg correspondent Rebecca Choong Wilkins in Hong Kong and Bloomberg’s Chief Economist Tom Orlik.Read more: ‘Are You Better Off?’ Asking Reagan’s Question in Xi’s ChinaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2002, Narendra Modi was facing the biggest political crisis of his career. But in the aftermath of riots that left more than 1,000 people dead – most of them Muslims – he saw an opportunity to turn his fortunes around. He would go on to become one of the most powerful leaders India has seen in decades. Host K. Oanh Ha, Bloomberg’s Sudhi Ranjan Sen and author Nilanjan Mukhophadyay trace how Modi and his government have been able to transform India into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Narendra Modi is arguably the world’s most popular politician. With nearly 1 billion Indians eligible to vote in a six-week election that concludes on June 4, Modi and his party are expected to win a majority for the third time in a row and extend their decade in power. But there are also concerns over human rights and religious and press freedoms that many political leaders, CEOs and bankers in the West appear willing to overlook. On our first episode of The Big Take Asia, host K. Oanh Ha and Bloomberg’s Sudhi Ranjan Sen chart how Modi built up so much power over the last several decades – and why he is both a beloved and divisive figure.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A deep dive into understanding Asia and how it impacts the global economy and world of business.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.