Why British Pacific ships needed different range

Why would a British equivalent of a German P-class cruiser need a 29,000-mile range, and how would British Pacific routes affect the design?

Britain planned to advance through a chain of Asian seas and bases rather than cross the central Pacific from east to west.

A proposed British equivalent of the German P-class cruiser first needs a mission that justifies its 29,000-mile range. British and American plans approached the Pacific differently. American forces expected to cross the ocean over very long distances. British routes ran through the South China Sea and Philippine Sea toward Taiwan and Japan, so their required range would follow that route instead.