A Chinese landing on Taiwan's Pacific coast would take an unnecessarily elaborate route. Moving around the island would expose the assault force in waters where American submarines could hunt it more freely. The shorter operational problem is to control the Taiwan Strait rather than seek surprise through a long seaward detour. The geography shows why a seemingly clever flanking option can create a more dangerous naval transit.
Notable Point · 2:52:13-2:52:47
Why Taiwan's Pacific coast magnifies submarine risk
Sending an amphibious force around Taiwan toward the Pacific coast would leave it exposed to American submarines instead of exploiting the shorter strait crossing.