There are three paths China could take Taiwan—soft power via a China-funded KMT victory in 2028, a naval blockade, or an all-out amphibious assault—but the amphibious option is uniquely difficult because the 110-mile Taiwan Strait has 22-foot tidal surges making invasion feasible only ~3 months a year, and the island has two giant mountain passes creating a 'Thermopylae problem.'