From Securitization to Desecuritization: The Dynamics of China’s COVID-19 Control Policy Change

This study examines the dynamics of China's COVID-19 control policy change through the lens of securitization theory. Findings reveal a phased strategic approach: COVID-19 was framed as an existential threat via hybrid assemblages of discourse and techno-political instruments, to facilitate stringent pandemic control measures. However, the concerns over social stability, economic stagnation, and resource unsustainability caused by the prolonged emergency governance, coupled with the escalating difference between securitizing actors and the audience undermined the securitization logic, precipitating China's abrupt change in pandemic control policy. China's capacity for selective (de)securitization was inextricably linked to its centralized leadership system, collectivist ideology, and adaptability to performance-based legitimacy.