The U.S. is one of the most vocal countries urging China to hew to international arbitration in the vital waterway. Beijing isn't impressed. A great power refuses to play by international rules, declining to ratify a major U.N. convention to which more than 160 other countries are party. After years of complaints, the nation convinces the U.N. to tweak the treaty to many of its specifications. Yet even after those amendments, the great power’s legislature prioritizes protectionist sentiment over respect for global rule of law. Read more
