[tenpies]

1,000 miles from the nearest naval base.

The Chinese base in Djibouti for example, is larger than the US base there.

What the US misses is that China doesn't necessarily want a fleet of expensive (and very vulnerable) carriers floating around. It would much rather have islands and coastal bases around important choke points. Sure, the price you pay is force projection, but the benefit is that it's a much more sustainable military.