Talking to people that I know in the travel business in China, it appears that the number of foreign visitors is down this year. I don't think that it is because it has become harder; people who never went to China would not know that. And it is actually much easier than before. Do you forget what it was like to buy train tickets just a few years ago? And the subway, fully bilingual, is now in most major cities and covers everything. I doubt that the 3 seconds security checks in subways bother anybody.
What should have more impact is the political situation. With stuff like trading wars, people are concerned about who they will be treated by locals. Plus you have the warnings issued by various governments about the risks of traveling to China (risk of random detention, etc.). Based on the questions of potential travelers on various travel forum, this is the real issue.