But Xi, in overall charge since 2013, is something else again – ruthless, relentless and global in his ambition to project China’s power and influence. Xi’s autocratic Chinese model sets the standard for every jumped-up tuppenny despot keen to make a mark. In practice, such rights simply do not exist elsewhere in Xi’s China. Xi’s China is pushing ahead with a “social credit system” to reward or punish individuals and businesses by rating them using technology that aggregates personal, family and workplace behaviour records. Xi’s autocratic power paradigm points not only to increasing systemic repression at home and growing economic dominance abroad.

Source: The Guardian November 23, 2018 11:27 UTC