There is another view that "chanko" refers directly to China because "guo (pot) (on the first tone)" and "guo (country) (on the second tone)" have a similar sound to each other in Chinese.
また「ちゃんこ」は中国そのものを指す言葉だという説もあるが、これは「鍋」と「国」は中国語で似た音だからである。