Nah they are a 1 and a half world country. Not quite 1st world cause their 1st world cities is brought down by their other cities that are like 2nd or 3rd world cities so the China average out to 1 and a half world country.
The 1st/2nd/3rd world countries originally referred to: 1st - countries that allied with NATO during the Cold War. 2nd - countries that allied with the USSR during the Cold War, including China. 3rd - countries that were not involved, did not take a side, et cetera.
Basically, 1st world countries were Capitalist, 2nd were Communist, 3rd were not involved. The original definition would include economically advanced countries that did not choose a side, but modern definition includes only extremely poor countries.
China is a 2nd world country, with modern cities and poverty outside these cities. 1st world countries are more Capitalist with safety nets for their poorest regions.
People can say this all they want, but the meaning of words change. The meaning of "first world" has changed to mean developed country. ---