Yilan students set sail for Okinawa to explore Taiwan-Ryukyu maritime links

Yilan, July 3 (CNA) Ten students from Yue-Ming Elementary and Junior High School in Yilan County set sail from Suao Port on Friday for Japan's Okinawa island chain, on a voyage exploring historical maritime links between Taiwan and the former Ryukyu Kingdom.

The "Sailing the East China Sea: Exploring the Ocean" program combines sailing, marine science research and exchanges with Japanese students, the school said in a statement.

The program aims to deepen students' understanding of Taiwan's maritime heritage while encouraging them to engage with the ocean, take on new challenges and broaden their global outlook, the school said.

Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) attended the departure ceremony, where they encouraged the students and presented them with sunglasses.

Cho said the roughly 1,500-kilometer round trip from Suao to Ishigaki and Okinawa represented another step in expanding Taiwan's international engagement.

He said the voyage also marks the 30th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Suao Township and Ishigaki City, adding that Taiwan-Japan youth sailing friendship regattas are expected to continue.

School principal Huang Chien-jung (黃建榮) said the team is expected to arrive in Ishigaki on Saturday, where the students will take part in a friendly sailing race with local students, conduct marine science research and observe the night sky.

The group will then continue to Miyakojima and Okinawa, Huang said.

If a typhoon develops during the voyage, the group will remain in Ishigaki or Miyakojima until conditions are safe, he said.

The school has organized a series of maritime education projects since 2018, including expeditions across the Kuroshio Current.