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.
This episode was produced by: Yang Yang; Editors: Patrick Hirsch, Serena Ng, Matthew Thomas; Reporting by: David Ramli; Additional Reporting: Low De Wei; Sound Design/Engineer: Taka Yasuzawa; Fact-checker: Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver; Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer
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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.