In autocratic societies, whether Communist or otherwise, locals’ response to questions about societal failings is often, “it’s complicated.” It can absolve the government/regime while admitting there are indeed issues. It may not be illuminating but it’s often as far as a local can go.
For Joe Tsai, a true believer in what the Chinese Communist party has produced and also a man who helped bring a middle class to the world’s most populous nation with Alibaba, it’s even more complicated. Chinese by heritage, Taiwanese by birth, Canadian by citizenship and American by education, the 59-year-old is often at the center of cultural and political storms, starting with his reaction to then Rockets GM Daryl Morey’s “Free Hong Kong” tweet weeks after he took over the team.