I'm a Westerner, so I know what you're saying. That said, on matters such as these, I think we've entered an era where the government of China does not care about the Western viewpoint. They see a potential threat to their economy, and they deal with it their own way. That's not good or bad, it's the reality of the more multi-polar era we're entering.

How do we operate in this era? That's up to really smart people in the bowels of Western capitols. But in my own opinion, rule of law or no, I'm not sure going to bat for the likes of Ant is a hill we want to send soldiers to die on as they say. Ant itself was intended to flout the rule of International Law. How do we argue on its behalf in the name of "rule of law"? That squanders what little credibility we do have in China.