@Andi **********
To be honest, I don't see why any Thai embassies or consulates, all of which are now on the e visa system, make a distinction between residents and non-residents anymore given that no one is allowed to apply in person anymore (a very backwards move) thus no issues with overcrowding, which would have likely been the main reason for having this rule in the first place.
Of course, where this rule is still in place now, it could simply be to reduce the Consular staff's workload so they don't have to sort through as many applications, though in the case of China, you would never see any large number of applicants being foreigners anyway.
Everything in China is dominated by locals...unlike say in Thailand, where you have expats everywhere, in China, foreigners are rare.