I'm really not convinced this is "held back" content at all. It sounds like something extra which really would have no place in the standard game package. Why would there be a specific emphasis on China in the main game and a named hero unit there as opposed to any other country in the world? As bonus extra content, it makes sense to create a set of themed missions which gives it its own identity and flavor. But it really doesn't strike me as something which would have been in the standard game at all.
If every country had special themed missions like this, and China and some other countries were missing them, and they release this as DLC later, then sure, it would appear to be content cut out from the game or held back. But as it is, even as a DLC bonus pack, it sounds kinda forced and extraneous, which is usually a good sign that it was conceived separately from the main game.
