OT: China's new carrier

[headquarters]

I would lik eto chime in on the already stated fact - noone can match the USN be it the Pacific oranywhere else - it would be a matter of time before they get there fastest with the mostest so to say ( and damn the torpedos)

I am thinking the Chinese want to be able to wave the flag as already stated - always a useful tool in the military- diplomatic game, but also I think there is the goal of being able to confront lesser neighbouring navies - and actually going in and sorting things out far away if need be - evacuating nationals stranded in an unsavoury African civil war springs to mind, antipirate duty or what not - but also delivering some well placed ordinance to beef up their proxies and dishearten their adversaries in an imagined internal conflict somewhere the Chinese have invested money and efforts.

As someone have said - China have some internal turbulence - in an extreme situation a carrier could be the means to punish an area otherwise out of reach of the hardliners in power - again an imagined scenario with domestic unrest and the central goverment in need of striking rebels from the sea,blocking sea lanes etc .

As for the full on naval war with other major players like RN or USN I see that as a short lived affair ending with a lot of grief in Beijing.