Is Beijing about to ‘play the Ryukyu card’ over Tokyo’s stand on Taiwan?

University plans research centre on the ancient kingdom as academics emphasise its significance to ‘national security and reunification’

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US Air Force personnel conduct a parachute drill at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, the largest American military installation in the Asia-Pacific. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 2:00pm, 17 Sep 2024Updated: 3:02pm, 26 Sep 2024

Chinese academics are calling for new emphasis on Ryukyu, linking the ancient kingdom that is now Japan’s southernmost prefecture of Okinawa with China’s national security.

Observers say the push could be part of Beijing’s efforts to challenge Tokyo’s position on Taiwan. But they believe Beijing is unlikely to dispute Tokyo’s sovereignty over Okinawa.

Ryukyu was a Chinese tributary state in the East China Sea for more than 500 years until it was annexed by Japan in 1879.

Tourists visit Shuri Castle, the former palace of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, in Okinawa, Japan. Photo: Ma Ping/Xinhua Press/Corbis

It is again in the spotlight after Dalian Maritime University in northeast China held a seminar on the subject on September 1 and unveiled plans to set up a Ryukyu research centre.

More than 20 Chinese academics were at the conference, including Gao Zhiguo, president of Chinese Society of Law of the Sea.

“The Ryukyu issue has profound political and historical significance as it relates to national security and the reunification of the motherland,” Gao told the seminar, according to a WeChat post by Communications in Northeast Studies, an account run by official think tank the Eurasian System Science Research Association.

“There is a need to prepare for various risks and countermeasures in advance,” Gao said.