"Chinaman" is not inherently/originally a slur, but seriously who says that today? Even Englishman, Irishman and Frenchman sound slightly old-fashioned to me - surely you'd rather say "He's French" than "He's a Frenchman".
It's one of those words you certainly shouldn't be offended at finding in an old book, or not even if an elderly person uses it, but if a young person uses it then he's probably dug it up deliberately for questionable political reasons.
It's one of those words you certainly shouldn't be offended at finding in an old book, or not even if an elderly person uses it, but if a young person uses it then he's probably dug it up deliberately for questionable political reasons.