Taiwan Has Global Political Significance?

Still on Richard C. Bush's book and Lee Teng-hui, but this time it is not about Bush's somewhat one-dimensional portrayal of Lee, as I think I have made that point abundantly clear in earlier entries.

Rather, this entry is about why it is so easy for the Chinese to dislike the former Taiwanese President.

For instance, Lee had noted during his visit to Cornell in 1995 that "Taiwan had global political significance", adding that "Taiwan's experience of democratization should serve as an example for the rest of the world and particularly for China."

Lee made the claim, in the view of Bush, "to secure the moral high ground for Taiwan and to reject the idea that the PRC was on the right side of history."

Indeed, in Lee's mind, "Taiwan was not just a part of China; it was the best part of China."

I imagined that those very words were uttered by Lee with a contemptuous air, and with very little regard for cultural sensitivities. More than just sounding arrogant, Lee's remarks bordered on obnoxiousness, as far as the sentiments of mainland Chinese were concerned.