The mid-2010s upgrades extended older destroyers' service lives. One explanation is that the PLAN wanted to preserve fleet numbers while keeping newer ships away from exposed South China Sea duties. Older hulls can support forward presence where collisions, accidents, or escalation may damage or cost a ship. Their loss would still matter, but it would remove a less valuable asset than a new destroyer.
Notable Point · 34:43-36:16
Older destroyers absorb the risks of presence missions
Older destroyer refits appear partly intended to preserve fleet strength and provide less costly hulls for exposed South China Sea missions.