What's Next for China's Fifth Generation Fighter Jet?

Upon entering service in 2017 the Chengdu J-20 became the first active fifth generation fighter jet in the world developed outside the United States — providing the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) with an analogue to the U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor air superiority fighter. The J-20 was designed with a radar evading stealth profile to maximize its survivability both in air-to-air combat against enemy fighters and against enemy air defenses. The fighter's air superiority airframe provides it with a high thrust/weight ratio, a high speed, high operational altitude, and the long range needed to dominate airspace both over Chinese territory and beyond across the South and East China Seas. Recent reports from Chinese state media outlet CCTV however indicate that the J-20 airframe could potentially be modified to fulfil different roles for the PLAAF — namely that of an electronic attack and a strike aircraft.