東亞朝貢體系在中華民國政府遷台前後，可謂完全失去恢復傳統國際架構的可能性，而中國更分為已佔有大陸領土的中華人民共和國，及退守台灣一隅但仍擁有「正統」地位的中華民國。此二政府彼此皆不能擊敗對方，故雙方的外交戰略便在一般性的目的外，又增加了彼此競爭的性質；再加上美、蘇的「冷戰」結構亦籠罩此間，致使兩岸在對外事務的處理上更添變數。若以「硬實力」與「軟實力」的角度觀之，此時期的東亞國際體系即形成與過去大不相同的態勢。於是，無論在東亞的傳統或現代體系中，皆有獨特意義的琉球，乃成為檢視當時東亞諸國外交態度及策略的良好對象。而中華民國在琉球相關問題中，時時可見其流露「琉球本為中國藩屬」的思維，但執行上卻也表現出「目前無力爭取」的無奈。此狀況不但顯示中華民國高層與外交部，其各自對中華民國實力的認知，也體現東亞國際格局的轉變。歷來學術界多集中於明清兩代中琉關係的討論，特別是在文化交流方面；在國際關係的研究上，則多關注琉球的歸屬爭議，而偏向法理的探討。然此議題實有其他探討方向，故本文即以《外交部檔案》為基礎，由中華民國自1948年年初到退守台灣後，針對琉球歸屬問題的看法和處置，探討其在處理琉球問題時的行動，及其所展現的政治、文化等層面在東亞新格局下的意義與影響。

Along with the partition of China into two entities after the retreat of the government of the Republic of China to Taiwan, the Tribute System in East Asia had actually collapsed. Ever since, the two entities across the strait, the People's Republic of China (P.R.O.C.) and the Republic of China (R.O.C.), had constantly been engaging in fierce competition over legitimacy, sovereignty as well as political and military strength. The P.R.O.C. on mainland was referred to as the "Hard Power" in terms of its territories and its military strength, while the R.O.C. in Taiwan was more deemed as the "Soft Power" in terms of its "legitimate position". Apart from the conflicts across the strait, tension had also been gradually mounting in East Asia with the United States and the Soviet Union-two superpowers of the "Cold War"-trying to exert their influences to their utmost in the region. The issue of the Ryukyu Islands hence had met with greater attention in the area. In Taiwan, entangled in intricate historical sentiment, whenever the matter was brought up, it would always arouse vehement reaction from top authorities down to civilians in different social ladders (including the overseas Chinese). "Ryukyu was ever a traditional vassal state of China, the R.O.C. surely has sole sovereignty over it!"-that had been the prevailing conviction in Taiwan. As for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the R.O.C., though upholding the same conviction, they tended to tackle the issue in a more practical and flexible way: "It is not time for us to claim the sovereignty of the Ryukyu Islands forcibly, at least not for this moment, whatever our conviction!" Unlike many political and scholastic discourses which focused more on the cultural of legal aspect of the Ryukyu issue, this paper will analyze and discuss, based on the archives of the Mofa of the R.O.C. preserved in the Academic Sinica, Taipei, the stand and approaches the authority in Taiwan had been taking towards the issue of "the Reversion of the Ryukyu Islands" in years after its retreat to Taiwan. In addition, this paper will also discuss the consequent political and cultural significances therein.