Renting isn't owning is a pretty good take because it is factually true, and yes, 9 in 10 families in China OWN a home, not rent it.
Apartments are sad excuses for homes is ridiculous, would you rather live in suburbia hell? A nice apartment complex with facilities like gyms, green spaces, gardens, cafes and near public transport is many many times superior to an independent house in the middle of concrete hell, in fact people pay far far extra for luxury apartments like these than random independent houses.
Which is to say yes, apartments can be objectively better than independent homes, forget them not being able to be counted as shelter.