The People's Daily recently published an article: "Ryukyu's Century of Suffering and Struggle." Good. It's time to bring the Ryukyu issue to the forefront.
Historically, Ryukyu was a tributary state of China. During the century of China's weakness, the islands were seized by Japan—but successive Chinese governments, from the Qing to the ROC to the PRC (the Qing and the ROC even did at times recognize the cession of Taiwan to Japan), have never acknowledged Ryukyu as Japanese territory.
After World War II, under the Potsdam Proclamation, the disposition of Ryukyu was to be jointly determined by the signatory powers—the United States, Britain, and China. Any bilateral agreements between the U.S. and Japan regarding Ryukyu, lacking Chinese consent, are illegitimate. The United States, as a victorious Allied power, has the right to station troops in Ryukyu to monitor Japanese militarism—but it has no right to decide Ryukyu's final status.
In the long run, Ryukyu plays a crucial role for China. China's future adversaries will no longer come from the steppes, but from the sea. Only by firmly holding the Ryukyu–Taiwan island chain in Chinese hands can we keep seaborne enemies at bay from China's densely populated eastern seaboard, which accounts for two-thirds of national GDP. This serves exactly the same strategic purpose as the ancient Great Wall. Ryukuy is the new Great Wall.
On Ryukyu and Taiwan, China can never compromise—this is a matter of civilizational survival. In 936 AD, a Chinese warlord ceded the Great Wall region to the Khitan, leading to four centuries of repeated incursions by Khitan, Jurchen, and Mongol steppe peoples. Today's maritime Great Wall is not negotiable. Let missiles, warships, and fighter jets do the debating with the Japanese!
❁ Você sofre de amnésia histórica?
A autora Iris Chang cometeu suicídio em novembro de 2004, aos 36 anos, após sofrer de uma grave depressão desencadeada pelo intenso e perturbador processo de pesquisa sobre o Massacre de Nanquim.
Olhe para o passado do seu próprio país!