‘Made in China’ … three words that most people on the planet will recognise. For more than half a century, China has been known as the home of mass production and low-cost imitation. With its mammoth labour force and insatiable appetite for coal, China’s factories are unrivalled when it comes to producing plastics, metals, cars, and pharmaceuticals.

Unfortunately for the people involved, this monstrous industrial machine exacts a heavy price – after all, a nation does not achieve that level of productivity without an authoritarian mechanism to keep its workers in check.

Enter the Social Credit System (SCS).

Officially launched in 2020, the China social...