Big Take Asia

We’re taking The Big Take to Asia. Each week, Bloomberg’s Oanh Ha tells a story from the home of the world's most dynamic economies - and the markets, tycoons and businesses that drive the ever-shifting region.

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Recent Episodes

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Americans Flocked to RedNote as the TikTok Ban Loomed. Will the Party Last? Tuesday, January 21, 2025

The US ban on TikTok saw millions of users – predominantly Americans – flock to another Chinese social media platform: Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote. So far, the vibe between Chinese and American users has been convivial. But ca

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South Korea Has Plenty of Botox But Not Enough Doctors Tuesday, January 14, 2025

A record 600,000 people traveled to South Korea for medical procedures in 2023, with roughly half of those visiting dermatology and plastic surgery clinics. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host Rebecca Choong Wilkins talks

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Why Millions of Young Chinese Are Refusing to Make Pension Payments Tuesday, January 7, 2025

China’s pension system is in danger of running out of cash within a decade due to severe underfunding. Now it faces a new threat: Tens of millions of mostly young workers are refusing to pay into it. On today’s Bi

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The Coffee Shop That's Been Eating Starbucks' Lunch in China Tuesday, December 31, 2024

China’s Luckin Coffee is the nation’s top coffee retailer, overtaking even Starbucks. That would be notable itself, but less than four years ago the company filed for bankruptcy, making its comeback even more unlikely. The turnaround is in

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Netflix’s Big Bet On ‘Squid Game’ Tuesday, December 24, 2024

The gory, dystopian South Korean thriller Squid Game is the most popular series Netflix has ever released. This week, it drops season two — in the midst of the company’s efforts to grow the show beyond the screen. <p dir="ltr"

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China Had a Plan to Rescue Its Housing Market. It’s Not Working. Tuesday, December 17, 2024

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 co

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The Most Powerful Families in South Korea Brace for the Next Revolt Tuesday, December 10, 2024

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 stak

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The Six Hours of Martial Law That Stunned South Korea Thursday, December 5, 2024

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 converg

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The $250 Million Bribery Charges Rocking the Adani Empire – and India Tuesday, November 26, 2024

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

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The Shadowy Fleet of Tankers Moving Iranian Oil to China Tuesday, November 19, 2024

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

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Another Trump Term Is Coming. Is Asia Ready? Tuesday, November 12, 2024

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 eco

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Pakistan Is Getting Too Expensive For Its Middle Class – So They’re Leaving Tuesday, November 5, 2024

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.

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The US Pledged to Contain China’s Tech Ambitions. It’s Not Working Tuesday, October 29, 2024

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 abo

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How China’s BYD Became King of the Affordable EV Tuesday, October 22, 2024

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

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How an Infamous Vietnamese Businesswoman Engineered a $12 Billion Fraud Tuesday, October 15, 2024

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 addi

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Inside the Succession Drama at a Hong Kong Property Dynasty Tuesday, October 8, 2024

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

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Tim Walz’s Deep China Ties Could Spell Trouble for Democrats Tuesday, October 1, 2024

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 mil

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Could the Chinese Yuan Ever Replace the US Dollar? Tuesday, September 24, 2024

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 tha

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China’s Crackdowns Are Crushing the Dreams of a Generation Wednesday, September 18, 2024

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 tal

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Indonesia Is Building a New Capital. It’s Not Going Well Tuesday, September 10, 2024

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. O