Karishma Vaswani

Karishma Vaswani is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist specializing in Asia politics, with a particular emphasis on China and the Indo-Pacific region. At Bloomberg Opinion, Vaswani writes, broadcasts, and provides commentary across television, radio, digital, and social platforms, focusing on topics such as the US-China rivalry, Taiwan's security, and the political trajectories of Southeast Asian nations.

Vaswani is an award-winning television presenter and broadcaster with extensive experience in international journalism. She worked for BBC across Asia and South Asia for two decades, serving as Chief Asia Presenter based in Singapore. In this role, she directed editorial content for primetime morning Asia programs and anchored live television news. Her reporting has centered on the rise of China, US-China trade tensions, and the global implications of these developments.

During her tenure at BBC, Vaswani held several key positions, including Indonesia editor and correspondent, and was the network's first Mumbai-based business correspondent and presenter of "India Business Report." In Indonesia, she covered major news events such as the Jakarta bombings and the anniversary of the Aceh tsunami. Vaswani began her career as a CNBC Asia producer before joining BBC. She is fluent in Indonesian, Malay, Hindi, Urdu, and French, and is learning Mandarin, reflecting her broad engagement with the region.

Vaswani has interviewed prominent figures in Asian business and politics, including Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Japan's Central Bank Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, and India's former central bank governor Raghuram Rajan. She received a national award in Indonesia for best current affairs program for her work on Joko Widodo and, along with her Bloomberg Opinion colleagues, won a Webby Award for best Social News & Politics video.

Vaswani has appeared at and moderated international conferences such as the Boao Forum for Asia, APEC CEO Summit, British Chambers of Commerce Economic Briefing, and World Economic Forum. She has also moderated the Future Cities Lab event and World Bank conference. Vaswani's expertise in Asian politics, geopolitics, and international relations, combined with her on-the-ground reporting experience, provides audiences with insight into the forces shaping Asia and the world.