But just because it's still in service does not mean it's effective at what it does, and iirc, there are not that many Q5s left, and those Q5s remaining have mostly been upgraded to carry laser pods and PGMs.
I do not expect the Q5s to stay in PLAAF inventory for much longer, nor do I expect the PLAAF to devote resources into purchasing a like-for-like replacement once they are gone.
Against modern enemies with good integrated air defense in their armored formations, getting close enough to thing about strafing them is just asking for trouble as you will get a face full of radar-guided AAA and have SAMs swarming up your backside if you survive that.
Attack helos can at least take advantage of cover and terrain to clutter up enemy radars or hide from retaliatory fire. Attack planes like Q5s and A10s can only use their speed and agility, but against a remotely modern SAM or even MANPAD, what speed and agility those planes have will not be nearly enough.
Attack planes only really come into their own in counter-insurgency operations, where you have small bases scattered across a large territory and fighting a largely pre-missile tech enemy. The speed and heavier munitions load attack planes have over attack helos would then be useful in rapid reaction responses to attacks on your bases, and the speed and agility of attack planes would help them to avoid the bulk of any retaliatory fire, and it's armor plating should see off most of what little fire it does take.
Think about it, the Su25 made it's name in Afghanistan, and the A10 is popular again because of Afghanistan. When NATO was bombing Kosovo, A10s were staying high, well outside of MANPAD and the vast majority of enemy SAM range and using PGMs rather than it's famous cannon, and so was little different from any other fast jet.
Unless China has some secret plan to have a go at taming Afghanistan, it just doesn't need a dedicated mud mover any more.
