It is a China-bashing lens. The article also complains about: "the location of a person’s “hukou,” or residency permit" Employers in every country do this and

It is a China-bashing lens. The article also complains about: "the location of a person’s “hukou,” or residency permit" Employers in every country do this and we don't call it "just wrong" (though it is). They use the more international form of a hukou known as a passport. Western companies also have hiring discrimination based on social abilities and who your friends are, even when it's of only minor relevance to the job. A person's personality is considered worth discriminating against (even for jobs working alone) but that isn't automatically more acceptable than physical characteristics.