"China sent it's sole aricraft carrier, the PLAN
Liaoning through the Taiwan Strait"
This is, in this day and age, a smaller, light carrier. Only capable of holding 24 attack aircraft. With the remaining total capacity of 36 being met with helicopters.
The Nimitz class carriers (all ten of them) typically carry
60 attack aircraft with the remaining
30 capacity being met with helicopters. 90 in total.
Even the successor, the Ford class can carry a not inconsequential 75 or more aircraft. Again the majority of these being fixed wing attack aircraft, with likely less rotary aircraft as we move towards drones for Anti-submarine warfare. Again, there's due to be another ten of these built.
A single carrier strike group (the U.S 8th Fleet) can completely obliterate the PLAN.
All of it.
This is why nobody is really bothered when Russia and China send their antiques around our way.
Well, the sensible people anyway. The retarded press loves to try and court a bit of controversy for its own sake.
EDIT: Actually, about the PLA. The whole "human waves" tactic is more of a myth these days. It has been noted that training and equipment has been
vastly improved within the last decade. Human Wave Attacks are no longer their simple "go to" as it was in previous decades. It has largely been believed that the PLA has been taught from the US Marines playbook and training methods, meaning there is a strong core of fighters at the heart of the PLA perfectly capable of holding out at least half decently against a western force.
Once that force is chewed up though, then its back to the Human Waves.
Same for the Russians but they've done it because they simply
can't afford to human wave.