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New Release: Epstein mentioned Trump multiple times in private emails; Venezuela mobilized military amid U.S. build-up in region; Baby Formula Recall. Aired 10:15-11a ET

Aired November 12, 2025 - 10:15   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to second hour of the show. I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi. This is Connect the World. Being in Latin America,

where Venezuela is mobilizing its military forces, President Nicolas Maduro made the order as the United States largest warship arrived in the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The idea is precisely to always be prepared to defend the right to peace, to the

stability of our people, of our Venezuela and of our South America and the Caribbean. We have truth and reason on our side. We stand on the right side

of history. We defend the most sacred cause ever defended.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: While military exercises are underway across the country, President Maduro says these are meant to test the real time use of weapons and

systems across all areas. The mobilization also includes the country's civilian forces, a reserve unit known as the Bolivarian Militia. CNN's

Stefano Pozzebon is in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital. Stefano, good to have you with us. I want you to walk us through what's happening where you

are. What are you hearing on the ground?

You've got the mobilization of forces in Venezuela, and of course, we're seeing deployment of the USS Gerald Ford in the Caribbean. Is there fear of

a confrontation? What are you hearing?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, Eleni. Well, I think that out of Caracas, we can paint you a picture of two main messages. The number one is

that, of course, the government of Nicolas Maduro and (inaudible) are taking this threat from the United States, which yesterday was just being

even more strong of a threat with the arrival of the largest aircraft carrier in the world, the Gerald Ford here in the region in the southern

Caribbean.

Well, the government, Nicolas Maduro in particular, are taking that threat at its own words, they're taking it very, very seriously, and that's why

yesterday, on Tuesday afternoon, the defense minister announced the mobilization of more than 200,000 between soldiers and, like you said, the

members of the Bolivarian militia to join these military drills to try prepare the country for what could happen. They're calling this an

imperialistic threat.

At the same time, if you can see where I am, the streets of Caracas has actually really, really common here in a central location, in central

downtown Caracas, where people go on with their lives. For example, the life, in a way, goes on. And it's not that the Venezuelans are neither

aware, nor they don't care about what's happening. They do. And for example, the cameraman I'm working with today, Ronnie Zamora (ph), told me

that this morning, when he dropped his children off to school, the main chatter with the parents out of the scale -- of the schoolyard was to the

arrival of the Ford, and what that means.

And you know, it's on everyone's mouth. But at the same time, there is the distinct feeling that after more than 10 years of life under the strict

authoritarian rule of Nicolas Maduro, well, this is not just the end of this chapter. Not many people here believe that by Christmas time, for

example, Maduro won't be in power anymore. In a way, they still need to make their ends meet. They still need to go to work. They still need, in a

way, to wake up every day, go to bed, every day. Life, in a way, goes on.

[10:20:00]

So it's -- it can feel a bit of a contradiction the fact that you have the government in charge calling for a massive military mobilization, and at

the same time people here sort of shrugging it off and going on with the life but this is the main -- the main reason why this is a country that has

been seeing geopolitical events and tensions for the vast majority of the last 10 years.

One more thing Eleni is that nobody really knows how prepared the armed forces would be to an eventual attack from the United States. We know that

in the years of Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chavez, when Venezuela was one of the wealthiest regions and countries in South America, well, they

purchased a lot of equipment and armament from the likes of Russia, Iran and even from the United States in the early years of the Chavez

presidency.

Now, this is a country that has also dealt with a massive economic crisis in the last decade or so. So we don't know how operative those weapons,

that equipment, those military units, actually are. The government has boasted that they can handle up to 5000 IGLAs. These are Russian made anti-

aircraft MANPADS, missile that can be launched by foot soldiers. However, we don't know how operative they are, so there is a little bit of

distinction feeling in the streets of Caracas, but at the same time, you can see the life goes on, Eleni.

GIOKOS: Stefano, thank you so much. Great insight there from the streets of Caracas. Much appreciated. My next guest is a Senior Fellow for Latin

America at Chatham House, Christopher Sabatini joins us now live from London. Christopher, great to have you with us. I want you to just, you

know, from an optics perspective, you've got Venezuela building up military presence, and, of course, doing all these exercises today.

And then you've got the USS Gerald Ford in the Caribbean Sea. Do you believe this is symbolic from the U.S.'s side, even though they're saying

that this deployment was specifically to counter Narco-terrorism, or do you believe we're close to a confrontation?

CHRISTOPHER SABATINI, SENIOR FELLOW FOR LATIN AMERICA, CHATHAM HOUSE: Well, symbolic motions can have actually consequences. So what's happened since

basically the end of August is the Trump administration has sent a fleet of destroyers, a nuclear submarine. Of course now the USS Gerald Ford is

joining them, about 10,500 military personnel now off the coast of Venezuela. That's not necessary to just address the issue of narcotics

trafficking, especially because only 5 percent to 8 percent of the cocaine that enters the United States comes from Venezuela.

This is really about trying to send a signal to those around Nicolas Maduro, the President of Venezuela, that he has to go and -- but the

problem -- and the idea is that to rattle the military and to force the military into getting him into exile, or even removing him and turning over

to the U.S. The U.S. currently has a bounty on his head of $50 million for whoever provides information that leads to his arrest.

The problem is it hasn't worked up until now. We've been engaging this for over two and a half months, and so far, no one's moved. So now the question

is, is with this build up, how far can -- is Trump willing to take this bluff? Is he willing to launch a few missile attacks inside Venezuela? If

so, what would he attack? It's unlikely that the military is going to invade Venezuela.

The force that's currently off the coast of Venezuela. It's not sufficient to take a country of 28 million people with multiple urban centers, jungles

and mountains, but clearly, the next step is going to, quite likely involve some attacks inside Venezuela. Whether that will be sufficient into

prompting the military to remove Maduro, we don't know.

GIOKOS: So, I mean, this is the question, we've been talking about regime change, and we know that the CIA has embarked on some kind of covert

mission within Venezuela, that's what we've been hearing. Are you anticipating regime change? And you know, when we talk about regime change

and we talk about this kind of interference, you hope that it would be bloodless, and you don't know what -- you know if it's going to turn

violence what?

How are we calculating all of this? What's sort of the balance of power here in terms of how it could possibly play out?

SABATINI: Eleni, first of all, we heard about, as you mentioned, the covert CIA operations that Trump approved. The problem is, they're not covert, if

you're talking about them. Again, this goes to the point this is all signifying.

GIOKOS: Yeah.

SABATINI: It's intended to send a show of force and threaten the military. There is a risk that the U.S. could attempt some sort of smash and grab

operation, which Special Operations forces go into Venezuela, try to seize Maduro, much like they did with Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. That could be

one of the goals. The question is, again, is, will this promote the sort of or trigger, the sort of regime change that the Trump administration wants

because, as the Trump administration has correctly said, this is a government that is deeply embedded in a number of commercial, active --

commercial, illicit activities.

[10:25:00]

From human trafficking to cocaine trafficking to money laundering to illegal gold mining. This is deeply embedded in the government, so simply

removing Maduro and some of his cronies around him will not be sufficient to promote the sort of change that Donald Trump seems to want her, or

especially Secretary Marco Rubio, to allow in the Democratic opposition to take over.

So it could get very messy, and it also could not produce what is the desired change that they want?

GIOKOS: Yeah, yeah. You know, regime change often doesn't produce the desired change. That's the story for another day. But I want to talk about

some strikes on vessels in the region by -- yeah -- and, of course, the history of the U.S., specifically in Latin America. But they've been 19

strikes on vessels since September 2nd and we -- we just heard yesterday that the UK has suspended some intelligence sharing with its ally, the

United States.

There's been many questions about what this ultimately means and whether the Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance is now under threat and risk. And I

just wonder how you're characterizing the events that we've been seeing over the last few days because I think it's really important that the UK

has said, you know what, we're not -- we're not going to share any more intelligence with you.

SABATINI: It's important. Practically speaking, we really don't know whether the intelligence that led to the bombing of the 19 boats that you

mentioned, the killing of 75 people who are alleged to be narcotics traffickers. We don't know. We don't know if that came from the UK. It's

quite likely, since the Trump administration hasn't produced any evidence and has not arrested these people but killed them, whether they were, in

fact, narcotics traffickers, and how they got that information.

But the fact that the UK is taking the stance is very important, because it's basically sending a signal that it recognizes that what the Trump

administration is doing are extrajudicial killings are in violation of international law, and the UK, whether practically or symbolically, doesn't

want to have any part on that.

And as we know this, Trump administration, especially on this policy in which it's really doubled down its bluff, if it's only just a bluff, is

going to react, quite likely, very sensitively to this admission or this policy, because, as you mentioned, there's the Five Eyes, this is coming

from a very close ally of the United States. One, in fact, that has deeply courted Donald Trump when Keir Starmer visited the White House and

(inaudible) Donald Trump came for another state visit.

How we will react is unclear, but it's -- it's a clear signaling effort, and I can tell you with my discussions with European diplomats here in the

UK, they are very uncomfortable with the idea that they have no role in this. They're simply standing on the sidelines and watching something that

could end very badly, but certainly even if it ends well, has been in violation of international norms and due process concerns.

GIOKOS: All right. Christopher Sabatini, thank you so much. Great to have you on the show. I appreciate your insights. All right, moving on and death

and devastation in two major South Asian capitals in just two days. Just ahead, I'll ask an expert if these tragedies have handed hardliners in both

Delhi and Islamabad a political weapon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:00]

GIOKOS: Welcome back to Connect the World with me, Eleni Giokos. Here are your headlines. Venezuela is undertaking a mass military mobilization amid

the build-up of U.S. firepower in the region. Land, air, naval and reserve forces are carrying out military exercises to test real time readiness. The

mobilization also includes civilian forces in response to what Venezuela describes as imperial threats by the United States.

The U.S. House will convene today for the first time since September, to start voting on a Senate approved funding bill to end the government

shutdown. The bill advanced along party lines in the House Rules Committee overnight. The shutdown is now in its 43rd day, the longest in U.S.

history.

It could still be weeks or more before U.S. air travel returns to normal. The Federal Aviation Administration canceled 6 percent of all flights on

Tuesday, and it still plans to hike that number to 10 percent by Friday because of a shortage of air traffic controllers who are working without

pay.

A faction of the Pakistani Taliban is claiming responsibility for a suicide attack that has killed at least 12 people. Pakistan's president is strongly

condemning Tuesday's bombing near Islamabad's High Court. It is the worst attack to rock Pakistan's capital in nearly two decades. And this came just

one day after a rare car explosion tore through a neighborhood in India's capital, killing at least 10 and leaving dozens more wounded.

Officials say the two deadly attacks are not connected, but they are sending shock waves through the two South Asian rivals. Terrorism expert

Sajjan Gohel is the International Security Director of the Asia Pacific Foundation, and he joins us now live from London. Sajjan, great to have you

with us. And I really just want to start with these two separate attacks, but seemingly happening, you know, interestingly, very close to each other

time wise, on a timeline.

Are you making any connection here? Because I think a lot of people are drawing on the similarities of these and also paying attention to the fact

that you've got tension between India and Pakistan. How are you reading into this?

SAJJAN GOHEL, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY DIRECTOR, ASIA-PACIFIC FOUNDATION: Well, certainly, Eleni, there are a lot of coincidences. Here, you have a

vehicle attack in New Delhi, near the symbolic Red Fort, where there are a lot of people congregating, and then the next day you have a terrorist

attack, also in the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad. So two capitals in two days, factoring in also that both India and Pakistan have had a lot of

tensions this year.

They were involved in a skirmish, a few months ago. It is unlikely that they are directly connected, but perhaps it's a sign of the reality that

there are a lot of radical extremist groups that operate in the Afghanistan-Pakistan corridor, and then that has knock-on effects in the

neighborhood.

GIOKOS: Yeah. OK, so let's talk about the attack, specifically in Islamabad, and this was a suicide explosion, and something we haven't seen

of this kind since 2008 in Pakistan. We know that the -- the Taliban, one faction of the Taliban, has taken responsibility for this, and we know that

talks had actually broken down. Do you believe that there is room now to re-engage, or do you think we could see escalation?

GOHEL: I suspect Eleni, there will be escalation between Afghanistan and Pakistan, because this is a problem that is continuing to proliferate. So

as you mentioned, a faction of the Pakistan-Taliban, the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, carried out the attack. They claimed responsibility for it. What we are

seeing also is that in the tribal areas of Pakistan, the military of Pakistan has been accused of being heavy handed. There are accusations of

extrajudicial killings, the suppression of the Pashtun community, and that then has a knock-on effect where groups like the Pakistan-Taliban have been

able to fill the void.

We've seen them actually carrying out attacks in the tribal areas of Pakistan, many in the country thought that somehow that that was isolated,

it was far away, but the fact that we've seen this attack occur in the capital of Pakistan is a very sobering reminder that the internal

challenges that Pakistan faces, especially its somewhat questionable ties historically with the Taliban are now coming back to bite the very entity

that was once the patron and the sponsor of the Taliban.

[10:35:00]

GIOKOS: Yeah, and you know, specifically in the daily attack and what this ultimately means for relations with Pakistan, because you've specifically

said we could see an escalation between Pakistan and Afghanistan. But are you concerned about tensions rising and brewing between Pakistan and India?

GOHEL: Well, that will often be dependent on what the investigation and the attack in New Delhi unveils. It seems to be that the group, the Jaish-e-

Mohammed, which is an affiliate to Al Qaeda and has bases in Pakistan, seems to have been responsible for it. The forensic information is still

coming through. It's interesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi actually paid a visit to Bhutan after the attack, so it doesn't look like that India

is necessarily seeking to ramp up anything imminently, but this is something that may take a period of time.

We may recall that the attack that sparked off the problem between India and Pakistan several months ago was when one of the terrorist groups based

in Pakistan carried out the killing of tourists in Jammu and Kashmir, which also ended up appearing on social media, and that created a massive

reaction by India. So we haven't got to that stage yet, Eleni, but we'll have to watch this space.

Certainly, what is now happening is that Pakistan's tensions aren't just with India. They're also with Afghanistan as well. And perhaps South Asia

has never been this precarious for a good while.

GIOKOS: All right, Sajjan Gohel, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate your insights. Right ahead on Connect the World, the U.S. House

will finally reconvene today to start voting on the funding bill to end the government shutdown. What angry Democrats are saying about the long wait to

get back in session.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GIOKOS: The U.S. House convenes today for the first time since September to start voting on a Senate approved funding bill to end the government

shutdown. The bill advanced along party lines in the House Rules Committee overnight to which Democrats voicing anger at their Republican colleagues.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JIM MCGOVERN (D-MA): Long time, no see. I hardly recognize you guys. Where the hell have you been? Republicans quiet, quit their jobs. They

disappeared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: The committee rejected Democratic amendments, including one that would have extended enhanced health care subsidies to set -- that are set

to expire at the end of the year. Arlette Saenz joins me now from Capitol Hill. Good to see you. So Congress remains deeply divided as this funding

bill gets -- heads to the finish line, finally. What are we expecting today?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the House is returning to session for the first time in 54 days to begin voting to reopen the government.

House Republican leadership is working to sell this bill that was negotiated in the Senate to the Republican conquer -- conference, but this

morning, House Speaker Mike Johnson said that he is confident they will have the votes to pass this.

[10:40:00]

Now there are two complicating factors in this vote. One is attendance issues. These lawmakers have been racing to get back to Washington over the

last 36 hours, hoping to make it for a final passage vote later this evening. Then there is also the fact that House Republicans are operating

with a razor thin majority. They can only afford to lose two Republican votes on this bill.

Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who had opposed the House passed version back in September, he is widely expected to vote against this new

measure tonight, and so we will be watching to see whether there are any other Republican defections. But on the Democratic side, House Minority

Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been working to try to keep his Democratic caucus together on this.

They are upset with the fact that this deal that was negotiated in the Senate does not include any guarantees for extending those Obamacare

subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. Now, there could be some defections on the Democratic side. Congressman Jared Golden of

Maine, who is set to retire after the 2026 elections, he had voted in favor of this bill back in September, so he is one who could potentially side

with Republicans on -- on this bill when it comes up for a vote later tonight.

But throughout the day, House Republican leadership is really trying to corral and wrangle their caucus to ensure that they will be on board with

this plan now. Right now, House Republican leaders are eyeing votes to begin in the 5:00 p.m. hour with a prediction for a final passage vote to

take place at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

If this bill is, in fact passed and ends this 43-day shutdown, it still has to go to President Donald Trump's desk for his signature to make this

official, but we will be watching over the course of the day to see whether Republicans can, in fact, get enough votes to get this bill across the

finish line as there could be an end to this standoff in sight.

GIOKOS: Yeah, that's -- it's a big day, Arlette. But on a separate note, Arlette, do you have any pennies in your purse? It's a random question, I

know.

SAENZ: Do I have any pennies? I actually was thinking about that today. What am I going to do with all my pennies?

GIOKOS: Well, actually, you should hold on to those, because the last American Penny is going to be minted today. So hold on to those. Arlette

Saenz, thank you so much.

SAENZ: Thank you.

GIOKOS: And on to that story. I mean, the last penny will be stamped today in Philadelphia. President Trump announcing in February that he instructed

the U.S. Mint to stop making the once popular sighting, the cost of production. The one cent coin actually costs four cents to mint. Despite

its demise, the penny will remain legal tender. Well, that's it for Connect the World. Stay with CNN. Marketplace Asia, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:45:00]

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's all about comebacks. This month on Marketplace Asia, fasten your seatbelt. We traveled to Bangkok to learn

how Thai Airways is working to reposition itself as a global contender. We also head to Macau to witness the NBA's long-awaited and highly anticipated

return to China. I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, and this is Marketplace Asia.

In 2020, Thai Airways went through a court supervised restructuring to prevent formally declaring bankruptcy, and today it is out of

rehabilitation, undergoing a dramatic financial turnaround. CNN's Richard Quest sits down with the CEO of Thai Airways, Thailand's flagship carrier,

to explore the company's strategies for growth and its vision for the future.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In the land of smiles, the Thai Airways Chief Executive finally has reason to start smiling again. In

2020, the airline filed for bankruptcy following years of losses and the COVID-19 pandemic, and now Thailand's flagship carrier, one of the oldest

in Southeast Asia, is back to profitability.

You've re-organized, you've restructured, you're back on the stock exchange.

CHAI EAMSIRI, CEO, THAI AIRWAYS: Yeah.

QUEST: How's it going?

EAMSIRI: So far, so good. I think we are better than we expected. That means good feedback from the market, good feedback from the investor.

QUEST: Thai Airways reported a net profit of almost $680 million in the second quarter of this year. Results up more than 700 percent compared to

the same period last year. To get to this result meant serious cost cutting. The airline slashed nearly half its workforce and reduced and

parted off its aging fleet. From 103 aircraft in 2019 remains 78 today. The court supervised restructuring also forced the government to sell part of

its stake in Thai. And now the question is, what happens to that remaining government stake?

Would you like to see the government completely exit from any form of share ownership in the airline?

EAMSIRI: If you look around us, the other major carrier, most of them are fully private company. We have to admit that ally business is very fierce

competition. We need a real ally businessman that know the background.

QUEST: The problem is not that the government has a stake, it's that the government potentially, potentially interferes. It puts people on the

board. It becomes a political beast rather than an aviation.

EAMSIRI: Especially in the past, we need who knows the business most. We changing the company during the past four or five years. I don't want Thai

Airways to go back, as we did in the past.

QUEST: The restructuring of Thai Airways also includes restructuring the cabin. For instance, first class soon to be a thing of the past. Instead,

the airline is investing in retrofitting the older planes, and there's a new product for Thai, a Business Plus. This is your 777s, which you're

going to refit, I assume single suite with a door.

EAMSIRI: Yeah. The first front row will be the Business Class --

QUEST: Yeah.

EAMSIRI: -- class, which we not named it yet. But the difference is the first row will be more leg room, longer, bigger and bigger screen.

QUEST: Eamsiri says none of this will affect Thai Airways' award winning service known for grace and elegance. They call it Thainess, and that the

country's population of more than 70 million gives them a unique advantage of say, the (inaudible) free (ph).

[10:50:00]

EAMSIRI: We will be the low cost carrier, I can say, but we will be the full service airline. It's different because we very confident that Thai

Airways -- we already have a very effective cost structure. You can trace back during the past three-four years, and we have a road map to do. That

means our cost will be more competitive, comparing to the industry.

QUEST: Eamsiri took the role as Chief Exec in 2023 amidst the restructuring. But his own road map at the airline stretches back some four

decades, so he's well aware of what makes Thai tick.

That's a plus.

EAMSIRI: Yeah.

QUEST: It means you know everything about it, but it's also a minus.

EAMSIRI: Yeah.

QUEST: Because you were part of the senior management --

EAMSIRI: Yeah.

QUEST: -- that made all the mistakes.

EAMSIRI: Yeah.

QUEST: So why are you the right person now to suddenly see the light of the new way forward?

EAMSIRI: I can say I'm the part of the company, but I'm not a part of the senior management at that time. And second, at that time, we were the state

owned enterprise. We have the barrier to do something. The mindset of SOE is do nothing. It's better to do something wrong.

QUEST: So do you feel, since you were CFO before, do you feel like a man unleashed, a man free, who can now do all the things that you saw and you

would say in the coffee room, why the hell aren't we doing this?

EAMSIRI: This our chance to do it, not only myself, my team, also. This is a chance that we have a freedom to run our own company by ourselves, no

interfering from the outside. That's why we can bring it back.

QUEST: Thai Airways, one of the grand names in aviation with a reputation that now stands ready to fly into the future.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: In 2019, the NBA was effectively banned from China following a political firestorm, and over the years, the league has gradually returned

on to Chinese television screens, but last month marked a major milestone with NBA preseason games playing in China for the first time in six years.

CNN's Ivan Watson went to Macao in late October to witness the league's comeback.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The NBA is back in China, and they have pulled out all the stops here at this massive casino in Macau with this

huge Pavilion of activities, and people look kind of giddy to me. They're here with their families. They're wearing the jerseys of their favorite

teams, and this is hours ahead of the sold out preseason game that will be played here between the Phoenix Suns and the Brooklyn Nets. And I talked

with a father who brought his son here. So this is a big deal, the NBA coming back to China.

ARKERS WONG, PHOENIX SUNS SUPER FAN: Yes.

WATSON: Huge?

WONG: Huge. We hope that NBA can come every year.

WATSON: The father and son duo are just two of many passionate fans who spent a fortune to catch two NBA preseason games here in Macau. Ticket

prices ranged from U.S. $62 all the way up to U.S. $3200 for VIP floor seats. Some top NBA stars attended, from Yao Ming and Shaquille O'Neal to

Vince Carter and Shawn Marion.

How important is it for the NBA to be back here in China again playing?

SHAWN MARION, FORMER NBA PLAYER: You know, I think it's -- it's the impact that we have globally. It's shown in a magnitude of ways, far as the

players, the game and it's just, I don't think you get to really experienced until you come here. You hear the rumble in the arena right now

before the game even started.

[10:55:00]

So this telling you how big a game is and how much they love it here in China, and I love coming here.

WATSON: And before the fallout in 2019, an estimated nearly 500 million people had tuned in to watch NBA programming over one season according to

Chinese social media giant Tencent. That's more than a third of China's population. But why was the league frozen out of the country? The NBA was

effectively kicked out of China because of a tweet.

In 2019, the Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey, he posted in support of protesters in Hong Kong during what had been a year of political

unrest there. The Chinese government clearly didn't like it, and the NBA was no longer welcome here.

So it's taken six years to see NBA teams once again playing here to the enthusiastic response of fans. If this relationship is to continue, players

and teams will have to navigate some pretty challenging political and cultural minefields, and as we've seen, the stakes are incredibly high.

One Los Angeles based marketing company is helping NBA players and teams navigate these challenges.

ANDREW SPALTER, FOUNDER & CEO, EAST GOES GLOBAL: So we work with NBA players and teams to help expand their reach in China and other markets as

well, but with a huge focus in China.

WATSON: East goes Global say they're working with over 20 percent of the league to build strategies for the Chinese market.

SPALTER: And so we try to help educate the people that we work with, to teach them you're great on Instagram and you're great on TikTok and you're

great on Twitter and so on and so forth. But those platforms aren't accessible in China. Instead, platforms like Weibo and WeChat and Douyin

and so on and so forth are so how about we help you manage those accounts there?

WATSON: More recently, the NBA has made headlines in the U.S. for sports betting scandals allegedly involving current and former NBA players and

coaches. It's not known yet if it will cause a shift in audience behavior here, but this season is an important one for the Chinese audience. In

fact, many are watching this year to follow 20-year old Yang Hansen's rookie journey in the NBA.

As the league steps back into China, it's unlocking massive potential. Ticketing revenue, merchandise sales and sponsorship opportunities, all

backed by a huge fan base. That's everything the NBA stands to gain from its return to China, one of its most lucrative international markets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And that is it for this month's program. For more on these stories and others, check out our website. Just go to

cnn.com/marketplaceasia. I'm Kristie Lu Stout here in Hong Kong, and I'll see you next time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END