Big Take Asia

In Episode 6 of The Sixth Bureau, a series from The Big Take, with spy Xu Yanjun in prison, the US government pursues some of his collaborators. Plus, host Jordan Robertson gets an unexpected call which leads to a big discovery.

The Sixth Bureau from Bloomberg News follows an MSS intelligence officer whose mission was to acquire the crown jewels of American aerospace companies. With aliases, blackmail and the occasional break-in, he targeted corporate giants. That is, until his sloppiness — and a cunning FBI sting — led to a stunning reversal: Xu Yanjun became the first Chinese intelligence officer ever convicted on American soil.

The Sixth Bureau is the story of superpowers, their secrets and how one Chinese spy got caught. Listen to Episodes 1 - 5 here.

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From soaring fuel prices in Pakistan to a shortage of cooking gas in India, Asia is bearing the brunt of the energy crunch sparked by the Iran War.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast we look at how war in the Middle East has pushed Asia to the forefront of a global crisis. Host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg’s Faseeh Mangi about the impact of soaring fuel prices in Pakistan and Clara Ferreira Marques about how the least economically resilient countries are feeling the most pain. 

Hosted by K. Oanh Ha; Produced by Yang Yang, Naomi Ng;  Reported by Faseeh Mangi, Clara Ferreira Marques;  Edited by Paddy Hirsch.

Fact-checking by Naomi Ng, Eleanor Harrison-Dengate;  Engineering by Taka Yasuzawa.

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

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By any account, Chen Zhi's ascent was meteoric. At a young age he founded a real estate company in Cambodia, which quickly became the sprawling Prince Group conglomerate. But beneath this legitimate facade, Chen allegedly ran a vast criminal network, building an empire on scams, human trafficking and high-level political protection.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, K. Host Oanh Ha and Bloomberg’s David Ramli look into the rapid rise and sudden downfall of an alleged criminal mastermind.

Hosted by K. Oanh Ha; Produced by Yang Yang; Reported by David Ramli, Low De Wei; Edited by Paddy Hirsch, Serena Ng, Matthew Thomas.

Fact-checking by Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; Engineering by Taka Yasuzawa.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode 5 of The Sixth Bureau, a series from The Big Take, a spy from China’s Ministry of State Security travels to an overseas meeting with a valuable source. He has no idea he is walking into a trap that the FBI has been setting up for months.

The Sixth Bureau from Bloomberg News follows an MSS intelligence officer whose mission was to acquire the crown jewels of American aerospace companies. With aliases, blackmail and the occasional break-in, he targeted corporate giants. That is, until his sloppiness — and a cunning FBI sting — led to a stunning reversal: Xu Yanjun became the first Chinese intelligence officer ever convicted on American soil.

The Sixth Bureau is the story of superpowers, their secrets and how one Chinese spy got caught. Listen to Episodes 1 - 4 here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The war in the Middle East is rattling global oil markets, raising the risk of supply disruptions and price shocks for energy‑hungry Asian economies.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg’s Daniel Ten Kate and Fereidun Fesharaki, founder and chairman of FGE, about how tensions involving Iran are being watched by energy markets — and which Asian economies are most exposed if the crisis escalates.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Targets in Iran, Israel and in the Middle East are under attack in an unprecedented escalation in the conflict between the US and Iran. The combat operations come after weeks of negotiations between the US and Iran over what remains of its nuclear program.

On today’s Big Take, Bloomberg’s Jeff Mason and Joumanna Bercetche join host David Gura to discuss the timing and goals of this weekend’s strikes — and the risk of a widening, regional conflict.

This is a developing story. We are live blogging at Bloomberg.com with the latest from across the globe.

Read more: 

• Diplomacy Shifts to War: How Trump’s Team Decided to Attack Iran
• Oil Market’s ‘Worst Fears’ Are Here as Gulf Conflict Hits Hormuz 

Hosted by David Gura; Produced by David Fox and Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Reported by Jeff Mason and Joumanna Bercetche; Edited by Naomi Shavin.

Fact-checking by Rachael Lewis-Krisky.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode 4 of The Sixth Bureau, a series from The Big Take, we follow a spy from China’s Ministry of State Security as he tries to plan a delicate overseas meeting with a valuable source. But the person he’s talking to isn’t working alone.

The Sixth Bureau from Bloomberg News follows an MSS intelligence officer whose mission was to acquire the crown jewels of American aerospace companies. With aliases, blackmail and the occasional break-in, he targeted corporate giants. That is, until his sloppiness — and a cunning FBI sting — led to a stunning reversal: Xu Yanjun became the first Chinese intelligence officer ever convicted on American soil.

The Sixth Bureau is the story of superpowers, their secrets and how one Chinese spy got caught. Listen to Episodes 1 - 3 here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Brussels to Beijing, the United States’ largest trading partners are digesting the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn President Trump’s signature tariffs — along with his threats to impose new levies by other means. 

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha sits down with Bloomberg’s North Asia economy and government editor Jenni Marsh and Bloomberg’s top trade editor Brendan Murray to discuss how countries across Asia are reacting to Trump’s tariff setback — and how it could boost China’s leverage at the negotiating table ahead of a high-stakes summit next month.

Hosted by K. Oanh Ha; Produced by Naomi Ng and Julia Press; Reported by Jenni Marsh and Brendan Murray; Edited by Paddy Hirsch;

Fact-checking by Eleanor Harrison-Dengate and David Fox; Engineering by Katie McMurran

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US Supreme Court on Friday handed President Donald Trump one of the biggest losses of his second term, striking down his signature tariff plan. On today’s Big Take podcast, Sarah Holder talks to one of the people at the heart of the drama: Rick Woldenberg, the CEO of Learning Resources, a toy company that was a lead plaintiff in the case. And she unpacks the decision and its implications with Supreme Court reporter Greg Stohr and global trade editor Brendan Murray.

The Big Take Asia followed Learning Resources throughout 2025 as it formulated its legal response to the new US tariffs and grappled with the challenges of shifting its supply chain from China to some lower-tariff neighbors. 

To hear more, listen to these Big Take Asia episodes:

• Tariffed: The Toymaker That Took on Trump Part One 
• Tariffed: The Toymaker That Took on Trump Part Two 
• Tariffed: The Toymaker That Took on Trump Part Three
• The American Toymaker Suing Trump Over Destructive Tariffs

Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Julia Press and David Fox; Reported by Greg Stohr and Brendan Murray; Edited by Tracey Samuelson.

Fact-checking by Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode 3 of The Sixth Bureau, a series from The Big Take, we follow a spy from China’s Ministry of State Security to the Paris Air Show, and then watch him develop a valuable source, despite his bosses constantly getting in his way.

The Sixth Bureau from Bloomberg News follows an MSS intelligence officer whose mission was to acquire the crown jewels of American aerospace companies. With aliases, blackmail and the occasional break-in, he targeted corporate giants. That is, until his sloppiness — and a cunning FBI sting — led to a stunning reversal: Xu Yanjun became the first Chinese intelligence officer ever convicted on American soil.

The Sixth Bureau is the story of superpowers, their secrets and how one Chinese spy got caught. Listen to Episode 1 and 2 here. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.