China has some serious issues, but people acting like this is out of the norm is ridiculous. The US is afraid of Chinas rising influence/power and these sorts of articles attacking it are a common tactic.
Like, great - there's no explicit social credit system in the US on an app where you're barred from leaving the country because of who you're friends with. Instead, there's an implicit one where the NSA gets to spy on all your shit (similar to what happens in China), where you're arbitrarily put on a watch list or no-fly list (similar to China), and depending on your ethnicity and/or family you may get unjustly targeted by the state with no real way of defending yourself (again, similar to China).
I'd almost prefer it be done the Chinese way, because at least then the problem is obvious. As it is in the states, like half the country can't even fucking agree that maybe there might be a problem with women & minority rights, immigration, police brutality, etc.