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That didn't answer my question. Why would China build such large numbers of these ships compared building more destroyers. What is the strategic advantage these ships in large numbers bring compared to a smaller number of destroyers.
Why do you need a destroyer in the first place?
It's primarily for the long-range air defence radar and missiles.
But if you're operating near the Chinese coastline under land-based air cover, there's no need for that.
ASW sensor suites also don't care if they are mounted on a Corvette or a Destroyer.
Yes it did. They're building corvettes to free destroyers for blue water missions. Plus, both classes are needed because the PLAN has various missions. Not everything can or should be solved with an AEGIS DDG. You're thinking about it as if having the two platforms is mutually exclusive, but it isn't.
These ships cost 50-100 million vs 500million+ and lower operating cost. These ships can be used better during peace time to show that "we are here" and provide coast guard duty like for ant- piracy, smuggling, terrorist , drugs etc. I don't know if its capable, but in a wartime setting, I hope they can attach more in quality/quantity of anti-ship missles.
I doubt the 056 corvette has any real strategic advantage. The Russian new corvettes are more strategic with better armement that includes long range cruise missiles.
In the case of the Russians the corvettes are disproportionately important because they are one of the few vessels they have which can traverse their canal system. They can move them from the Caspian to the Black Sea to the Baltic, etc without going over the Mediterranean or any of the other bodies of water controlled by NATO. They are highly mobile platforms with long distance surface strike capabilities. They amply demonstrated that by hitting targets in Syria from the Caspian Sea with those ships.
China also has navigable rivers but strategically they are important in different ways and they aren't connected like that. Anyway other than Russia and a couple of other countries which have which per capita income but small displacement navies like Norway it's not common to spend so lavishly on corvettes.
I mean just look at this.
As many naval strike missiles as an LCS with one twentieth the displacement. Plus a gun that's higher caliber than the one in the LCS.
The Chinese have the Type 22 with a similar mission profile.
China also has navigable rivers but strategically they are important in different ways and they aren't connected like that. Anyway other than Russia and a couple of other countries which have which per capita income but small displacement navies like Norway it's not common to spend so lavishly on corvettes.
I mean just look at this.
As many naval strike missiles as an LCS with one twentieth the displacement. Plus a gun that's higher caliber than the one in the LCS.
The Chinese have the Type 22 with a similar mission profile.
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Nobody really knows.