Episodes

  • The Biggest Takeaways from the Trump-Xi Summit
    May 15 2026

    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 China Executive Editor 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.

    Show More Show Less
    21 mins
  • Modi Is More Powerful Than Ever — Even as India’s Economy Strains
    May 12 2026

    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.

    Show More Show Less
    19 mins
  • Weekend Listen: Will the Xi-Trump Summit Be Over Before It Starts?
    May 10 2026

    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.

    Show More Show Less
    28 mins
  • Why China Blocked Meta’s $2 Billion Acquisition of Manus AI
    May 5 2026

    China’s decision to block Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus stunned the global AI industry.

    On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg’s Newley Purnell and Lulu Chen about how the deal crumbled and what it signals for Chinese startups trying to go global.

    Read more: China’s Meta Backlash Renders Manus Model ‘Officially Dead’

    Hosted by K. Oanh Ha; Produced by Yang Yang and Naomi Ng; Reported by Newley Purnell and Lulu Chen; 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.

    Show More Show Less
    18 mins
  • Weekend Listen: Writer Amitav Ghosh on Why India Has Lost Its Way
    May 3 2026

    For more than 30 years, the Indian-born writer Amitav Ghosh has built a global following with novels that draw on deep historical research.

    But his latest offering, Ghost-Eye, is more esoteric. The plot moves back and forth between India and the US, using past lives to explore the ties between the personal and the political.

    The plot centers on a psychiatrist treating a 3-year-old who shocks her family by insisting she remembers a past life in a fishing community.

    In this conversation with Mishal Husain, Ghosh explains why he’s finding it harder to write nowadays, how the memories of his childhood came flooding back during the Covid pandemic, why he sees capitalism as an obstacle to protecting the environment and thinks India has lost its way diplomatically.

    Read this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interview

    We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
  • North Korea’s Nuclear Program Reaches Tipping Point for the US
    Apr 29 2026

    As global attention is focused on war in the Middle East, North Korea has been accelerating its nuclear and missile program — testing new weapons and producing more warheads.

    On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg’s Jon Herskovitz on Kim Jong Un’s aggressive nuclear buildup and the strain that puts on US defenses.

    Read more: North Korea’s Nuclear Arsenal is Outgrowing the US Missile Defenses

    We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.

    Hosted by K. Oanh Ha; Produced by Naomi Ng; Reported by Jon Herskovitz, Soo-Hyang Choi; Edited by Paddy Hirsch Fact-checking by 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.

    Show More Show Less
    21 mins
  • China’s Tech Grip Threatens India’s Manufacturing Ambitions
    Apr 21 2026

    India wants to become a manufacturing powerhouse to rival China — but its reliance on the Chinese supply chain for things like batteries and semiconductors makes for a complex and exceedingly difficult puzzle to untangle.

    On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host Oanh Ha and Bloomberg’s Alisha Sachdev on how corporate India is struggling to navigate this unique geopolitical landscape.

    Read more: China’s Control Over Tech Is Threatening India’s Manufacturing Dreams

    Further listening: Asia Is Bearing the Brunt of the Iran War Energy Crisis

    We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.

    Hosted by Oanh Ha; Produced by Yang Yang; Reported by Alisha Sachdev; Edited by Patrick Hirsch; Fact-checking by Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; Engineering by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Sugiura Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Show More Show Less
    19 mins
  • How Hormuz Closure Could Squeeze Asia’s Staple Crop
    Apr 14 2026

    With the war in Iran creating a shortage of the fuel and fertilizer that farmers across Asia need to plant and harvest rice, many smallholders are seeking alternative supplies or pondering whether to plant at all.

    On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, agriculture reporter Hallie Gu tells host Oanh Ha what the bottleneck in the Strait of Hormuz means for rice farmers from Cambodia to India — and how the fate of the region’s staple crop shapes its economy and politics.

    Read more: Fuel Shortages From Iran War Threaten Asia’s Biggest Food Staple
    Listen more: Asia Is Bearing the Brunt of the Iran War Energy Crisis

    Hosted by Oanh Ha; Produced by Yang Yang; Reported by Hallie Gu; Edited by Patrick Hirsch Fact-checking by Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; Engineering by Alex Sugiura Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Show More Show Less
    19 mins