Yeah, the sinophobia is often atrocious. I lived and worked in China for a few years, so saw a lot of the good and some of the bad. People are people, and have the same needs and goals mostly, regardless of made up lines on a map.
I try to bring a reasoned, level line when I can… But I’m pretty done with trying to correct all the sinophobia nutters running off lies. It wears me out. Thankfully others do that so I can rest less guiltily.

Both the PRC as well as Anglophone media love playing into and orientalist stereotypes for their own reasons. Which doesn’t help.

“Internal migration rules” - yes, the Hukou system is alive and well.

Though for some smaller cities the restrictions have been lifted, but for any city most non-Chinese have heard of legal migration to it won’t be easy.

But there is a lot of illegal internal migration, and those people are pretty much the bottom rung of Chinese society, working hard jobs long hours in poor conditions, and often sleeping 4, 5 to a small room.