In the overview of the Ryukyu Islands, the document used "Yaeyama", the name used by Japan before its boundary was redrawn after the Second World War. It cannot represent the Chinese government’s stance on territorial issues.

The drafter was clearly aware that the Diaoyu Islands do not belong to the Ryukyu Islands, and suggested to put them under the jurisdiction of Taiwan when remaking Japan’s boundary after the WWII. That is to say, the 36 islands of the Ryukyu Islands do not include the Diaoyu Islands and the affiliated islets.

It is worth noting that the drafter particularly stressed that research must be done as to whether the "Senkaku Islands (the Diaoyu Islands)" and Chiwei Islet should be incorporated into Taiwan. This shows the drafter had realized that the Diaoyu Islands and Chiwei Islet do not belong to the 36 islands of the Ryukyu Islands or the Miyako or Yaeyama Islands, otherwise the proposal of incorporating the Diaoyu Islands and Chiwei Islet into Taiwan would not be brought forward at all.

The drafter used "Senkakus" to make the document more easily understood because it was a popular name for the Diaoyu Islands when Taiwan was under Japanese colonial rule. It does not mean the Chinese government acknowledges the islands belong to the Ryukyu Islands or Japan. On the contrary, the contents of the document show the drafter was clearly aware that the Diaoyu Islands, including Chiwei Islet, do not belong to the Ryukyu Islands, and should be incorporated into China’s Taiwan after Japan's defeat.

Read the Chinese version:混淆視聽改變不了歷史; source: People's Daily Overseas Edition; author: Liu Jiangyong

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