There's a chinese girl in my russian class, so I asked her about it. She thought it was a great idea so people can't leave without paying their debts, and can't get further into debt.
China doesn't have free speech or free press, so unfortunately a Chinese resident can only form "low-information" opinions about issues outside their immediate experience; as they spend their entire life under the brainwashing of an authoritarian government.
I've never heard an American or European say that (other than a case of hyperbole here or there. What could this refer to?