The idea that business from the USA, UK, and, other nations in the West all “wanted democracy” is blatantly not true. They wanted profit and success via the penetration of a huge potential market. Democracy? No, fair treatment.
The idea that the general public wanted a democracy in China is silly also. Most people are exposed to a very warped viewpoint of China, and I would argue, all people want is that their nation remains great, their jobs remain stable and their economic future is secure. Most average people I speak to (UK) still ask if if people eat dog meat and proclaim China is communist.
The strongest case for “wanting democracy” is most likely in the political sphere for western nations. The strength of cooperative democratic governments is weakened when an outside nation is playing by its own rules, gaining advantages that members could be envious of.
Having lived in China and having Chinese as my second language, I find recent events deeply troubling. The recent US-Taiwan travel agreement and new campaign for a referendum vote for independence on the 6th April is just adding to the anxiety. It’s an uncertain time, but I certainly agree that clear and hard rulings need to be made to ensure fairness between trading nations.