My arguments are no more than to say you cannot use your carrier force to intimidate China in a future conflict. There no pending conflicts now. The DF21 is likely the most current in a system of weapons developments across all arms that will make such conflicts against China ruinous. That's China's strategy.
You an sail anywhere you want. The idea is when war drums are beaten that your battle group be kept as far away as possible. Re my earlier depth of defense argument.
Why would China want to do a silly thing like that?
Indeed this is the kind of problem that is giving Chin's leaders sleepless nights. China's military priority is a simple "Keep the foreign invaders out." The generals can take care of that.
Every Chinaman over forty personally experienced what grinding poverty, societal insecurity and real hardship is.
Von Clausewitz pales in comparison with Sun Tzu.