What‘s legal and what‘s not depends on your status in China. So in practice it‘s still totally legal no matter what their government claims. So yes, I think that was a lie. But also this article is very likely bullshit too if you ask me. Classic fear mongering stuff. It generates clicks.

AI and robots are being oversold everywhere. Even though they are taking jobs, quality takes a hit. I doubt they fill nearly as many positions long term as tech tycoons want us to believe.