Big Take Asia

After more than a decade as a private company, Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, known internationally as RedNote, is testing China’s mood for all things tech with its plan to list in Hong Kong.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg Intelligence’s Robert Lea about why the time may be right for an IPO and what Xiaohongshu's debut says about the future of China’s tech industry.

Read more: Xiaohongshu Is Said to Ready Hong Kong IPO Filing This Month

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An interim deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz offers relief, but Asia’s economic woes are far from over. Beyond the chokepoint, the conflict has forced long-lasting shifts in Asia’s food and energy flows.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, Oanh Ha joins Odd Lots co-hosts Tracy Alloway and Joe Weisenthal to discuss why Asia is reeling from the conflict and what the “new normal” looks like for global supply chains.

Hosted by Oanh Ha; Produced by Yang Yang; Reported by Tracy Alloway, Joe Weisenthal; Edited by Patrick Hirsch, Julia Weaver.

Fact-checking by Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Taka Yasuzawa.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

Read more: China Targets Offshore Billions in Biggest Crackdown in Decades

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

Read more: Huge AI Bonuses in South Korea Spark Fight Over Sharing Tech Wealth

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

Read more: Handing Out $15 Billion of Free Meals Strains Indonesia's Budget

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

Read more: SoftBank Founder’s Starstruck Bet on OpenAI Raises Concern

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

Read more: 

• Bloomberg’s Trump-Xi Summit Page
• Winners and Losers From Trump and Xi’s Beijing Summit Talks

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

Read more: Resurgent Modi Paves Way to Keep Power in India Well Beyond 2030

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.

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.