Miao Zong-Han

Journalist, Lianhe Zaobao

Miao Zong-Han joined Lianhe Zaobao's China Desk in 2022 and is based in Taiwan. Prior to joining Lianhe Zaobao, he worked as a journalist at a mainstream Taiwanese media for over six years during which he was stationed in Beijing for some time covering Chinese politics, economics, society, and cross-strait relations.

Taiwan's armed forces hold two days of routine drills to show combat readiness ahead of Lunar New Year holidays at a military base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 11 January 2023. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

What could stir up trouble in the Taiwan Strait in 2023?

Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han notes that tensions in the Taiwan Strait last year reached an all-time high amid the visit by then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the subsequent military exercise around Taiwan by the People’s Liberation Army. In the upcoming year, mainland China’s policies towards Taiwan, the US factor, along with the campaign for Taiwan’s presidential elections are key variables that could affect cross-strait relations and are worth keeping tabs on.
Pedestrians in the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai, China, on 20 December 2022. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

Tug of war: Taiwanese businesses in China tussle with decoupling and integration

While investments by Taiwanese enterprises in mainland China have declined due to geopolitical factors and Covid-19, many still have one foot in the massive domestic market. As a result, a number of Taiwanese enterprises have turned into “new mainland enterprises” as they integrate into the mainland’s domestic market. Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han looks into where Taiwanese enterprises are moving towards.
People walk by a building decorated with an election campaign poster in Taipei, Taiwan, 14 November 2022. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

Taiwan’s local elections: Voter fatigue over thesis plagiarism tussle

Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han takes a closer look at voter fatigue in Taiwan in the upcoming “nine-in-one” elections, caused mostly by the arguing over plagiarism allegations, which might interest the highly educated but bore the average voter. Another question is whether the atmosphere at these elections will be a good indicator of things to come in the 2024 general election.
US President Joe Biden meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, 14 November 2022. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Xi-Biden meeting: Nobody wants war over Taiwan Strait

The long-awaited face-to-face meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping finally took place this week on the sidelines of the G20 summit. While both sides expectedly reiterated their stance on key issues such as climate change, North Korea and the Russia-Ukraine war, the Taiwan issue continues to be the highlight, with Xi marking it as the “first red line’’ that must not be crossed. Zaobao journalists Miao Zong-Han and Daryl Lim tell us more.
Xi Jinping, China's president, delivers a speech during the presentation of the new Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on 23 October 2022. President Xi Jinping stacked China’s most powerful body with his allies, giving him unfettered control over the world’s second-largest economy. (Bloomberg)

Xi's model of Chinese modernisation shaking up China and the world

Following the end of the 20th Party Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), it is anticipated that the CCP will further consolidate its power and adopt a tougher stance in dealing with both internal and external challenges in its bid to rejuvenate the Chinese nation through Chinese modernisation. Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han speaks to China experts and Taiwan-based analysts to find out more.
A sprinkler irrigates a corn field to mitigate the impact of drought brought by high temperatures, in Xiliangshi village of Boai county in Jiaozuo, Henan province, China, 20 June 2022. (China Daily via Reuters)

Pandemic could stymie China’s poverty alleviation and rural revitalisation efforts

The Covid-19 pandemic has badly hit the Chinese economy, with ordinary folk bearing the brunt of the impact. Migrant workers and rural farmers have had to pivot to other fields to make ends meet, and even then the outlook is still grim. Can the authorities safeguard its efforts in poverty alleviation and rural revitalisation? Zaobao journalists Miao Zong-Han and Zeng Shi look into the issue.
Chinese President Xi Jinping applauds at a meeting commemorating the 110th anniversary of Xinhai Revolution at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 9 October 2021. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

Taiwan scholars: Greater centralisation of power expected after the 20th Party Congress

The Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies of Taiwan’s National Cheng-Chi University held a seminar recently to discuss the upcoming 20th Party Congress and the political, economic and social policies rolled out in the last ten years of CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping’s rule. Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han shares the key findings.