As another who has been to China a few times and has friends there: It's a thing.

The lack of regulations (better now than even 5 years ago, but still shit (*1), the lack of pollution protection laws (*3) and the lack of care in build quality (*2) in order to drive down project costs isn't just a thing, it's a fact:

(1) https://www.adenservices.com/en/blogs/china-green-buildings-regulations/

(2) https://www.aii.org/chinas-infrastructure-and-construction-problem/

(3) https://shunwaste.com/article/how-do-people-get-around-the-pollution-law-in-china