Chinese President Xi Jinping's reference to the Ryukyu Islands, modern-day Okinawa, has triggered an array of commentary about the island's history. (Nikkei montage/Kyodo/Yusuke Hinata)

Analysis: Xi throws Okinawa into East Asia geopolitical cocktail

President speaks of Ryukyu Kingdom's history, with emphasis on ties with China

KATSUJI NAKAZAWA, Nikkei senior staff writer

June 15, 2023 04:00 JST

Katsuji Nakazawa is a Tokyo-based senior staff and editorial writer at Nikkei. He spent seven years in China as a correspondent and later as China bureau chief. He was the 2014 recipient of the Vaughn-Ueda International Journalist prize.

On June 4, the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, published a controversial story on the top of its front page.