Honestly the most important use of a carrier (especially for china) is going to be in supporting naval vessels interdicting against pirates harassing or stealing from oil tankers shipping from the middle east; china depends on mideast oil to feed its people. The us does not as of 2019-ish, and may in the short to mid term cease protecting international sea lanes especially in the mideast since we are rapidly disengaging out interests in the area (e.g. pulling out of Afghanistan).