I would take the ski-jump over the steam catapult.
Then you are being grossly shortsighted for your China.
Let us take a look at the the 'push-pull' relationship type.
If an opportunity in front of you offers a life altering experience, and you took it, that is a 'pull'.
On the other hand, if you look at your long term goals and decided you need to take a class, or a relocation, or cosmetic surgery, or marriage, or whatever, each is a 'push'. You felt the need to create an opening.
Did China saw an abandoned aircraft carrier and said to herself: ' That is an opening I need to project my power. ' ?
Or did China looked at her long term goals, felt the need to project her power somehow, and came upon an abandoned aircraft carrier ? If there were no abandoned aircraft carrier, China would have embarked on a venture on learning how to build an aircraft carrier anyway.
Regardless of which, now that China have an aircraft carrier, how to use it ? This is not about the Liaoning. This is about the aircraft carrier itself.
Now we come to two types of aircraft carriers: catapult and ramp.
China finally learned the shortcomings of the ramp, or ski jump. According to the Liaioning's take off ramp, the naval aviation assigned fighter J-15 is limited to roughly 2000 kg of ordnance. The American F-18 Super Hornet, launched by steam catapult, can carry nearly 3 times that into battle.
Here is something you do not know but must understand...
With such a limited weapons load, the J-15 will RTB sooner, which make planning for deck operations more critical. The USS Midway, built at the end of WW II, and the Liaoning are roughly the same length of 300-something meters. The Midway have three steam catapults and can launch an aircraft every 45 seconds. The steam catapult proved reliable throughout the ship's life, including service in Desert Storm for an average of 121 combat sorties per day. If the Midway had a ramp, that figure would have been higher, but would not be a point of prestige. Her fighters would not be in their assigned areas for long. Even if every bomb and missile was 100 % accurate, each fighter would have to leave when it can no longer support ground objectives.
Supposedly, India's INS Vikramaditya, with a ramp, can launch a MIG every 2-3 minutes. Again, the USS MIdway can launch every 45 seconds.
China maybe able to project her power, but when an adversary quickly figured out her limited 'combat tempo', thanks to the carrier's ramp, her ability to sustain her power projection far away from home may not be so effective. That does not mean the ramp is a bad idea, only that your ability to fight is always tied to your available resources.
