This is going to send shivers up the spines of you-know-who.

Read this as it lays out a very interesting argument:

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90786/8506366.html

If the argument is raised to the bar of proportionality, then, what is the actual length of the American coast line? What is the length of China's littoral border.

You can see that in the end China will logically need more than just 3 carriers.

At the present moment American air craft carriers and their task forces coast less that two hundred miles from the Chinese coast. If the U.S. insist on doing such a TIT to the Chinese, then I am sure China would want to do a TAT return out of gratitude.
3 Chinese carriers is just insufficient to do this because if one Chinese carrier task force is off the coast of San Diego, it means China will only have 2 at home to protect its coast.
This will be a bad state for Chinese security.