Diplomatic victory? Daesh recognizes Taiwan as a state in propaganda video

Published November 26th, 2015 - 12:04 GMT
Perhaps not the sort of recognition Taiwan wanted. (Twitter)
Perhaps not the sort of recognition Taiwan wanted. (Twitter)

Taiwan has a tough time being officially recognized by anyone in the international community, but that seems to be slowly changing. In a recent Daesh video chock full with the usual radical propaganda, the flag of Taiwan is shown alongside those of other nations, including China itself.

Given the fact that Taiwan is technically only recognized by 22 other countries, this could have been considered a small victory—had the recognition not come from Daesh.

Here is a screenshot from the video, via Twitter.

China considers Taiwan as a renegade province, while the UN recognizes the People’s Republic of China as the only formal leaders of China. Calls for Taiwan’s recognition have thus far been rejected.

So what made Daesh recognize Taiwan? Some believe that Obama’s words in Malaysia earlier this week had something to do with it. He included Taiwan on a list of countries in the region which were part of the coalition against the extremist group. Taiwan is reported to be providing humanitarian aid and emergency relief to the campaign.

The video has sparked Taiwan’s president Ma Ying-jeou to urge people to remain calm, while The Hong Kong Standard reported that SWAT teams are patrolling Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport.

Of course, Twitter users responded humorously the situation.

 

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