[Mark Felton]

To have a carrier in this age requires that you also have underwater supremacy and air supremacy.

China does not have such supremacy.

Taiwan could be provided a class of sea skimming missiles that could not be stopped sufficiently to save the carrier.

[jaydubya2]

WWW.JEFFHEAD.COM

[Blueflag]

Exactly.

Unless they can master air ops and fleet defense and manuvering and and and ... they simply aggregate high priority assets for targeting.

That said, however, They can project a threat, credibly, to places like the Spratley's while the politicians and diplomats wail and moan ... and do nothing to stop modern-age Chinese imperialism.

[Jeff Head]

They are building such systems, sub surface and air defense and superiority, very rapidly.

Right now, in the litoral waters around the mainland, the nut is becoming harder and harder to crack.

IMHO, if we let it go on another 5-10 years as it has in the last 5-10 years...they will be in a position to challenge us over Taiwan or other places (like the Spratley's) inside the 1st island chain.