Which modern destroyers define the design field

Which current destroyer designs belong on a serious shortlist?

Chinese Type 052C, 052D, and Type 055 ships, the US Zumwalt class, and Britain's Type 45 dominate the field, while some claimed destroyers are better understood as frigates.

The shortlist begins with successive Chinese air-defense combatants, with a personal preference for Type 052C despite the later 052D. Zumwalt remains important because of its scale and unusual design even after its troubled weapons program. Type 45 represents the British high-end air-defense approach. Horizon is excluded because its design role and program history fit the frigate category more closely.