Big Take Asia

China started 2025 with deflation, a property crisis and fears of a “lost decade” damping sentiment. By year’s end, it had stunned the world with an AI breakthrough, a trillion-dollar trade surplus and rare earth dominance.

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks with Bloomberg Executive Editor John Liu and Bloomberg Opinion’s Shuli Ren about how China navigated Trump’s tariff war, revived investor confidence and what risks could derail its momentum in 2026.

Read more: Repeat After Me: Never, Ever Underestimate China
Xi’s Triumphant Year Staring Down Trump Belies Woes in China

Hosted by: K. Oanh Ha; Produced by: Naomi Ng and Yang Yang; Reported by: Shuli Ren and John Liu; Edited by: Paddy Hirsch; Fact-checking by: Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Engineering by: Katie McMurran.

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

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Since the start of his second term, President Donald Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs – especially on China, where most toys are made. 

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host Oanh Ha talks with Rick Woldenberg, CEO of four‑generation toymaker Learning Resources, about his company’s battle against tariffs in stores and in court – and what it reveals about the true cost of America’s trade war.

Read more: Cutting Ties With China Is Harder Than Companies Expected 

Further listening: 

An American Toymaker Struggles to Break Up With China
India Wanted to Become The World’s Toymaker. Then Tariffs Happened

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The Philippines is no stranger to typhoons, but this year’s storms exposed something far uglier: a vast corruption scandal.

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks to Bloomberg’s Andreo Calonzo and Rosalind Mathieson about how billions of dollars earmarked for flood control vanished and what the crisis means for the country’s political and economic stability.

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The US tariff war with China sent American companies scrambling to find alternative manufacturing hubs. India looked promising until the White House upended everything. 

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, K. Oanh Ha heads to India, where she goes inside two toy factories scrambling to adapt to Washington’s shifting trade policies. How sky-high tariffs are undercutting India’s ambitions to take China’s crown as the world’s factory floor and forcing American manufacturers to make a tough choice. 

Read more: Cutting Ties With China Is Harder Than Companies Expected

Further listening: An American Toymaker Struggles to Break Up With China
The American Toymaker Suing Trump Over Destructive Tariffs

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Hong Kong’s worst fire disaster in decades has stirred up public anger over negligence, safety standards and official accountability.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Shawna Kwan and Jenni Marsh about the devastation, the political fallout and how the public outcry is causing unease in Beijing.

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After a rare public comment on Taiwan from Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, relations between the two nations are at a historic low — and Beijing is ramping up its economic retaliation.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host Oanh Ha talks with Bloomberg’s James Mayger and Isabel Reynolds about the political calculation behind Takaichi’s move, the historical grievances fueling the dispute and the real economic risks facing Tokyo.

Read more: China Asks Airlines to Extend Japan Flight Cuts Until March 2026 - Bloomberg

Further listening: How APEC Become a Battleground for US-China Influence

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Nvidia released its third quarter earnings Wednesday, crushing estimates and easing Wall Street’s concerns about an AI bubble.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg Tech’s Ed Ludlow sits down with David Gura to discuss his post-earnings interview with Jensen Huang – what the Nvidia CEO had to say about the company’s breakneck growth, so-called circular deals, and potential expansion into China.

Read more:

• Nvidia’s Huang Says Company Has Plenty of New Chips to Sell
• It's OK, Nvidia Says There's No AI Bubble

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China is investing heavily in cutting-edge genetic experiments. It’s part of their quest to become a biotech superpower.

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha, Bloomberg’s Karoline Kan and Oxford University geneticist Andy Greenfield discuss China’s pharmaceutical ambitions and the loose regulatory environment that allows the animal testing industry to thrive.

Read more: China Pushes Boundaries With Animal Testing to Win Global Biotech Race

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Wall Street banks are on a hiring spree across India, recruiting workers for everything from software engineering to risk management as part of a decades-long shift away from support roles toward high-skill positions.

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host David Gura sits down with Bloomberg’s Siddhi Nayak to look at India’s changing job landscape. What to expect as Wall Street continues to expand into its tech hubs – and how Donald Trump’s H1-B visa crackdown could accelerate that push.

Further listening: Trump’s H-1B Visa Fee Dashes Indian Workers’ American Dreams

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Asian nations are walking a tightrope between Washington and Beijing – juggling trade, tech and security pressures as the heavyweights vie for influence.

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Adam Farrar, Bloomberg’s senior geoeconomics analyst for Asia Pacific, to unpack what may have been overlooked at the APEC summit as the Xi-Trump show came to town.

Read more: Xi Calls for Stable Supply Chains After Sealing Trump Truce 

Further listening: Trump Got an ‘Amazing’ Meeting. China Got Much-Needed Time 

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