Licensed. China pay Russian money for setup production and if its really copycat and illegal. Why Russian sukhoi personnel come to China to involved in the project?China is gradually replacing the J11A with Parts made in China. Every batch is different. It's really a copycat process.
Same as Z-9 helo where Chinese paid Eurocopter money to obtain the know how of a semi production line.
You will be surprised even Hummer collaborate with Chinese on DongFong armour personnel vehicle.
When the vehicle was first built, the EQ2050 included the Hummer H1 chassis.[2] It was powered by a Dongfeng-built Cummins EQB150-20 110 kW/2,700R turbo-charged diesel engine, but it came with the option of using a U.S.-made V8 diesel engine instead.[2][6] The licensing rights for the Cummins engine were purchased so that Beijing could avoid any potential sanctions.[5]
Since 2008, almost all parts for the EQ2050 are made in China.[2] Both the EQ2050 and EQ2058 vehicles have a 5-speed gear box and a 2-speed transfer box.[18]
Dongfeng EQ2050 - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
The EQ2050 is a four-wheel drive vehicle with an independent suspension system and central inflating system.[2] The EQ2050 has redesigned lights and radiators.[1] Dongfeng worked with AM General Motors to acquire American parts for the first EQ2050s made in production[8] before the company was able to produce the necessary parts in China.[1] The vehicle can be configured to be armed with machine guns, automatic grenade launcher, or anti-tank missiles mounted on top.[3] Body styles include soft, hard, truck, and van