Big Take Asia

Xi Jinping Loves Soccer. Why Is China’s Team So Bad?

China’s men’s soccer team has qualified for the World Cup just once, despite millions in investment and a personal push from President Xi Jinping to turn the nation into a footballing powe...

2026-07-15

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Why China Is Flashing Its Military Muscle

China rattled neighbors from Japan to Australia on Monday by test-launching a long-range ballistic missile from a nuclear submarine in the Pacific Ocean. While such launches are rare, the latest test ...

2026-07-08

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Asia’s AI Stock Frenzy Is a Warning Sign for Global Markets

Thanks to the AI boom, stock markets in Taiwan and South Korea have seen historic rallies this year. But as retail investors pile in, often using borrowed money, concerns are growing over whether this...

2026-07-01

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China’s Instagram Gets Ready to Go Public

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 K...

2026-06-24

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The Iran War’s Lasting Scars Across Asia

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 ...

2026-06-17

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China Tightens Its Grip on Billions in Offshore Wealth

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...

2026-06-10

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Huge AI Bonuses Spark South Korea Tech Wealth Fight

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 corn...

2026-06-03

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Indonesia’s $15 Billion Free Lunch Experiment

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 ...

2026-05-27

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Weekend Listen: China vs the US: Kishore Mahbubani on a Zero-Sum Rivalry

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’...

2026-05-24

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SoftBank’s $60 Billion OpenAI Bet Sparks Concerns

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 H...

2026-05-20

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The Biggest Takeaways from the Trump-Xi Summit

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 festivi...

2026-05-16

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Modi Is More Powerful Than Ever — Even as India’s Economy Strains

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 W...

2026-05-13

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Weekend Listen: Will the Xi-Trump Summit Be Over Before It Starts?

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 Trumponom...

2026-05-10

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Why China Blocked Meta’s $2 Billion Acquisition of Manus AI

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...

2026-05-06

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Weekend Listen: Writer Amitav Ghosh on Why India Has Lost Its Way

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...

2026-05-03

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North Korea’s Nuclear Program Reaches Tipping Point for the US

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 ...

2026-04-29

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China’s Tech Grip Threatens India’s Manufacturing Ambitions

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 di...

2026-04-22

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How Hormuz Closure Could Squeeze Asia’s Staple Crop

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 ...

2026-04-15

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BONUS: ユニクロ・柳井正氏を直撃、アメリカ内陸部への執念と後継者

日本のアパレル王者、ユニクロ。アジアや米国の沿岸部で成功を収めた同社が、今まさに挑もうとしているのが、ブランド認知がまだ低い「フライオーバー・カントリー（内陸部）」と呼ばれる広大なエリアです。ここを制覇することは、創業者の柳井正氏にとってグローバルNo.1への「最後の難関」を意味します。今回のエピソードでは、テキサス州ダラスの店舗取材に加え、銀座の旗艦店で柳井氏の買い物に同行した様子を披露。...

2026-04-09

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Uniqlo Is Coming for Middle America

Japan’s richest man — Uniqlo founder Tadashi Yanai — has struggled to win over the US, despite owning the world's third-largest clothing retailer by sales. On today’s Big Tak...

2026-04-08

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Big Take Asia

Episodes (144 episodes)

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