琉球群岛与中国有着特殊的地缘关系。加强以区域研究为特色的地理学关于琉球群岛的基础研究符合中国的国家利益。正确认识琉球群岛地缘战略意义的重要性，对于中国维护钓鱼岛主权和东海海洋权益具有重要的理论和现实意义。我们在上一个国家自然科学基金项目“琉球群岛地缘关系时空演变的特征与机理研究”的基础上设计了本项目。将琉球群岛地缘关系置于东亚地缘政治格局的框架下进行研究，对于不同时期，东亚地缘政治格局变化对琉球群岛产生的影响以及琉球问题与东亚地缘政治格局变化的互动关系进行深入探讨。主要内容包括：华夷秩序下的琉球群岛地缘关系研究、殖民秩序下的琉球群岛地缘关系研究、冷战秩序下的琉球群岛地缘关系研究、复杂局势下的东亚地缘政治格局与琉球群岛地缘关系研究等方面。本项目作为一项基础研究，将丰富中国地理学关于琉球群岛地缘关系研究的成果积累，为今后中国涉及到琉球问题的对外交涉提供科学的理论支撑。

The Ryukyu Islands has a special geo-relationship with China. Strengthening the basic research characterized by the regional analysis on the Ryukyu Islands conforms with China’s national interests. Proper understanding of the importance of the geostrategic significance of the Ryukyu Islands has an important theoretical and practical significance on safeguarding the sovereignty of the Diaoyu Islands and the maritime rights of the East China Sea. On the basis of the previous National Natural Science Foundation project " A Study on the Characteristics and Mechanism of the Spatio-temporal Evolution of the Ryukyu Islands’s Geo-relationships ", we design this project. We make a research on the geo-relationship of the Ryukyu Islands under the framework of the East Asian geopolitical landscape, and we thoroughly explore the influence of geopolitical structure’s changes in the East Asia on the Ryukyu Islands and the interaction between the Ryukyu issue and these changes. The main contents include: the geo-relationship research of the Ryukyu Islands under the Huayi order; the geo-relationship research of the Ryukyu Islands under the colonial order; the geo-relationship research of the Ryukyu Islands under the Cold War order, and the geo-relationship research of the Ryukyu Islands and the East Asian geopolitical structure under the complex situation and other aspects. This project, as a basic research, enriches the accumulation of study about the geo-relationship of the Ryukyu Islands in China’s Geography, and provides a scientific theoretical support for the future national negotiations with foreign countries.