Big Take Asia

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.
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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.
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Targets in Iran, Israel and in the Middle East are under attack in an unprecedented escalation in the conflict between the US and Iran. The combat operations come after weeks of negotiations between the US and Iran over what remains of its nuclear program.
On today’s Big Take, Bloomberg’s Jeff Mason and Joumanna Bercetche join host David Gura to discuss the timing and goals of this weekend’s strikes — and the risk of a widening, regional conflict.
This is a developing story. We are live blogging at Bloomberg.com with the latest from across the globe.
Read more:
Diplomacy Shifts to War: How Trump’s Team Decided to Attack Iran
Oil Market’s ‘Worst Fears’ Are Here as Gulf Conflict Hits Hormuz
Hosted by David Gura; Produced by David Fox and Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Reported by Jeff Mason and Joumanna Bercetche; Edited by Naomi Shavin.
Fact-checking by Rachael Lewis-Krisky.
Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.
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In Episode 4 of The Sixth Bureau, a series from The Big Take, we follow a spy from China’s Ministry of State Security as he tries to plan a delicate overseas meeting with a valuable source. But the person he’s talking to isn’t working alone.
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 - 3 here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.