Currently, we got information/news/rumors from all sorts of places. Until China successfully exports a PAR radar, It's up to everybody's judgement. So let's keep our doubts/believings and wait. I mean, keep it as a simple discussion until we have a proof that can be verified.
BTW, I guess I need to say something on the topic rather than the just above suggestion:
1. If these slab panels are not PAR or they are not working at all, why bother to install them? Just look at what Russian did, they simpley reverted back to the traditional ones. Has anybody ever seen a non-PAR radar installed like this?
2. If it's some kind of PAR, it has to have a fairly powerful integrated combat management system due to the fact that PAR provides far more volume of information than traditional ones. (There are other sensors and weapons on abord 052C which also require a very powerful management system, but to keep the discussion simple, let's only talk about the radar). Put it this way, if you already got PAR, without a good brain, that PAR is useless, and you'd better off using other types of Radar. You can have a good brain without a good eye, but if you only have a good eye, you are almost dead.
3. This China Aegis term is completely started by people outside china, blame them if you feel unease about this term. It's not a good idea to compare it to US Aegis.
According to an engineer from the manufacturer, the PAR on 052C's technology is definitely more advanced than the early AB's radar, but the performance is still lagging behind the later versions. And the real worry (or the real reason why there's no point in comparing it to Aegis) is not some specific parameters of the radar. It's the fact that the whole combat system of AB has been at least Excersie Proven for many years, whereas 052C is still a completely new system to China. Although PLAN finally got this 052C hardware now to trial all the great ideas they've been imagining, it's going to be a long way for them to make it fully operational. Currently, the first ship of 052C, 170 is in the hands of PLAN's South Fleet for several months now, and although HHQ-9 had been tested with the PAR on 970 test ship, new problems still arise on 170. This is understandable, that's why it's not appropriate to jump so quickly to compare it to Aegis. Same thing can be said to that latest Jf-17 04 prototype, yes it has something similar to F18, F35, but just don't compare it to F18 or F35 seriously.
4. 052C's PAR is Active. Don't ask me for any evidence, because I've been in discussion about this topic for more than 4 years. That's just my conclusion, I really have no interest in going into the details any more. Let's wait and see.