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I believe they will use the ship as a political tool...and in any intital exchanges, as a method of drawing our own forces (sub surface and air) in to to get her, hoping to inflict as many losses on our forces as possible in the exchange.

That would be playing the game on the ChiCom's field ... and what is the likelihood of us doing that?

A credible counter to this point that I've heard is that from the ChiCom's political/propaganda and military perspectives they HAVE to take out a US carrier in the opening phases of an action against Taiwan.

OTOH, the US can keep its CSGs out of the Strait (putting them into the Strait as was done back in what? 1998? is a political stunt done at a time when we know the ChiComs aren't going to do anything against it), still conduct operations over Taiwan and the Strait and draw the PLAN out onto a blue-water playing field much more suited to our capabilities.

The wild card here is what happens if the ChiComs are seriously stupid and figure out that exiting the strait with their high-value platforms is suicide ... and decide to go after a US CSG with some nuke-tipped IRBMs? Chances of them actually hitting a CSG would be minimal, but still within the realm of possibility ...

We will operate well to the east of Tawian. They will hope to draw large numbers of aircraft and our subs in after the carrier and other high value targets.

I believe that is how it will work.

I do not believe the ChiComms will go nuclear to get a carrier. That will play to an absolute strength we have that if unleashed, destroys them completely and absoultely.

I do believe they will try the political victory, putting many of their eggs in that basket, making it as costly for us to succeed militarily as possible and then waiting for an administration that may not be willing to pay that cost.