Fine, thank you, says Alibaba Group after China's $2.8-billion penalty

After China imposed a record antitrust fine on Alibaba Group Holding, the e-commerce giant did an unusual thing: It thanked regulators.

“Alibaba would not have achieved our growth without sound government regulation and service, and the critical oversight, tolerance and support from all of our constituencies have been crucial to our development,” the company said in an open letter.

“For this, we are full of gratitude and respect.”

It’s a sign of how odd China’s crackdown on the power of big tech has been compared with the rest of the world. Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook would not express such public