The Chengdu guys really like canards despite the hit on RCS,which can be managed, and they have not yet mastered some of the more sophisticated methods of pitch control.
I would not dismiss this design - they have been working on it since the 80’s and it could be very well executed within the materials and technological constraints they are dealing with.
Precisely my point. The reason they are using the canard is for high angle of attack, slow speed pitch control. They have fly by wire, but it is obviously not advanced to the point where conventional control surfaces can be used throughout the flight envelope. In simple terms they haven't figured out how (or more likely where) to sample pitch, roll and yaw so that their flight system can compensate for high angles of attack using conventional control surfaces or thrust vectoring. So, they use the canard.
The Chengdu guys really like canards despite the hit on RCS,which can be managed...
True, if they have the right materials. This is an area where I've worked. To my knowledge the Chinese do not currently have material science advanced to the point where they fully understand RF absorption.
I would not dismiss this design
I wouldn't dismiss anything out of the Chinese......