Chip Tsao on left-wing killjoys, a world in chaos and a supernatural experience
He loathes hypocrites, has no qualms about writing anything for money, and puts down critics he says have inferior Chinese skills. The Hong Kong-based columnist, broadcaster, and writer certainly does ‘call a spade a spade’
The Cup Magazine was closed last year and you took ownership of it from January and will continue running the magazine online. What are your plans for it?
I want to work in online media because of the saying by Bertrand Russell that “the whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts”. The world is in chaos now. I want to tackle serious issues. I am interested in the US election, Isis (Islamic State), the effect of US interest rate rises on Hong Kong and China. For the online publication, the first edition will go out at 8am and there will be updates later in the day. It will be news- and commentary-driven. There will be analyses done by me and feature stories.
What do you think about the world right now?
I am very afraid that a third world war will break out. The collapse of Hong Kong and Beijing’s pollution don’t worry me, but I am worried that the world will melt down, which is what is happening. The rise of Donald Trump, Isis, and Maoists in China shows the dominance of extreme right-wing and leftist forces. In the past, [politics was dominated by the] centre right or centre left. Middle-of-the-road forces are lacking now, [similar to the eve of the second world war when populism was on the rise].
Why can’t we even say Merry Christmas now so as not to offend people from other religions?
In the district council elections last year, you supported the election bid of Joseph Lam Chok, a barrister with an arts degree from England’s Oxford University. Are you a proponent of the concept of elites running Hong Kong?