From an article sometime ago:
The PLAAF compares poorly to the USAF and some Asian air forces in areas of training and maintenance. A RAND Corporation study issued last year concludes that Chinese Air Force pilots do not fly as often as their U.S. counterparts.15 Chinese pilots typically fly 100 hours a year, while U.S. pilots train more than 200 hours per year. Chinese air combat tactics resemble old Soviet-style tactics that stress tight ground control of aircraft.16 PLAAF commanders place a high priority on flight safety, and this reduces pilots' initiative and inhibits the utilization of aircraft to their fullest capabilities. While the PLAAF is beginning to utilize "Aggressor" squadrons which specialize in adversarial combat tactics in an attempt to raise tactical skills proficiency, it remains to be seen whether these new training squadrons will be effective.
Here is the link to the full article. A fascinating read.
Chinese Air Force - Heritage Organization.
But then again, it was of course all the fault of the imperialistic americans. Their nimble P3 collided with the PLAAF slugish fighter.
That's their story and they are sticking to it!
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