>>39696836The place he's referring to is a Little Johto, actually. Malie City is pretty much inhabited by people who moved to Alola from Johto. Specifically, the Gardens are said to draw inspiration from Ecruteak and Bell Tower, which is the Japanesiest shit to ever Japan. Which is probably why in the anime Malie City is full of ninjas. Let me go ahead and remind you that Johto is based off of the Kansai and Chubu regions of Japan. Johto is the region with Mt. Fuji in it.
It's not China.