IS “UNTRUSTWORTHY” THE NEW “THREATENING”? CHINA’S SOCIAL CREDIT SYSTEM THROUGH THE PRISM OF SECURITIZATION

Abstract

China’s Social Credit System (SCS) has been portrayed in much Western media coverage as an instrument for full-scale social control that collects and analyses behavioural data on an unprecedented scale. This perception has been countered by scholars who argue that the SCS should be seen more as a tool focused on strengthening law enforcement. This article argues that the development and operations of the SCS should be understood as a long-term process of “securitisation”, intended to counter a crisis of trust in Chinese society. By introducing this “trust” discourse, the SCS creates an environment that justifies the need to employ extraordinary measures against breakers of social trust, measures that include reputational sanctions and joint punishments. Whether this securitisation process will succeed in efficiently curtailing untrustworthy behaviours in the social, political and economic spheres remains uncertain. It might be hampered by Chinese society’s limited knowledge of the SCS, as well as by the limited impact of the SCS on people’s lives. Alternatively, the introduction of measures that are too intrusive might trigger public disapproval. While ongoing local trials primarily involve schemes to reward “good” behaviour, since 2021 punitive measures targeted at trust-breakers have been standardised at the central government level. This article is based on an analysis of Chinese-language documents and its primary focus is on these centrally-designed SCS sanctions. It adds to the existing literature not only by proposing a new perspective through which the SCS may be perceived but also by discussing the measures targeted at individuals, the shape of which has been moulded by the recent standardisation activities.