That’s not a precise translation. It’s not immediately face PL-16 but “at a glance looks like PL-16”.
That makes sense.
I do think the three years part refers to the US bragging about AIM-260 in the last three years, rather than reflecting on PL-16 being in service for a few years though.
While we’ve been speculating about folding fins it appears that PLAAF’s solution to fitting six missiles in the J-20’s main bay is to dispense with them all together.
I don't think we speculated about folding fins as the only way for them to approach a next gen BVRAAM, but rather one among many ways (smaller fins overall, for example being another). In the case of the new folding fin PL-15E variant with Zhuhai, folding fins is clearly still viable.
For PL-16, the issue is overall wingspan.
If PL-16 has a configuration similar to a downsized PL-17 or this AIM-260, it will still have tailfins that they will have to work around.
Whether those tailfins are small enough that will allow them to carry six of them in a staggered way or not, is an open question imo.
Heck it may be that PL-16 with a PL-17/AIM-260 configuration will still have folding tailfins.
Also, for all we know the AIM-260 has folding tailfins as standard as well, it's not like the CGIs of it are decisive.
