there is a persistent myth that China only seeks minimum defence & is building all of those dozens of DDGs in addition to the 1 aircraft carrier per 3 years just to secure the South China sea & nothing more, but the thing is China doesn't only do trade with the islands in the SCS but it does trade with countries as far as Africa & latin America & they as an economic superpower need to provide security for these trade routes, ofcourse I don't mean security against Pirates but security against America's carrier groups & nuclear submarines, and for that achieving parity with at least 70% of US armed forces is needed.
China is producing DDGs at an insane rate of like double that of US production yet some people still refuse to admit that China wants maximum defence not minimum defence, any one who has been following the PLAN's buildup would realize... the PLAN is not content with being cornered in the immediate seas & wants to be king of the oceans, so that they can send carrier strike groups to America's west & east cost.
I agree with this one completely, and all PLAN actions when extrapolated points to this. However, choice between using nuclear or conventionally powered carriers are still separate issues, and its possible to attain ocean hegemony even with conventional carriers.
I would rather put more money into nuclear submarines instead.