Pardon me, binged the thread.
Steam is a better bet for working towards nuclear propulsion later on.
That's the name of their SSBNs.
I would expect the PLAN to use the rear position more often in peacetime, as it would allow the buddy tankers to take off with a full fuel load and top off the planes taking the short jump.
Turbo-electric is arguable, depends on whether they're used to making big reduction gears for steam turbines or not.
You're 100% correct that it's better, as you can just run the turbines at optimum rpm, but that may not be what they want to do.
Or maybe even a third 003.
China/PLAN wants to be a blue water navy. They haven't had one since the 1500s, but they want to be one because the UK, US, Russia, and even India and France are.
More than 5 years, because they need to get entire crews worth of personnel trained up in carrier operations, then saying "there's got to be a better way to do this" and streamlining how they do things.
Possible, I suspect that they may build a couple more 003-class before doing nuclear power. Kinda depends on how fast their war plans need carriers, and how quickly they can build high power reactors for a ship.
