Recently, YKON, a self-described “advocacy group for unrepresented nations, experimental countries and utopian thinkers,” was approached by a Taiwan-based group to see if they could get any of the world’s micronations to recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country.

Out of a few dozen, 10 micronations agreed. Among them: Westarctica, The Principality of Snake Hill, and The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands.

In return, YKON is encouraging Taiwanese citizens to sign a petition pushing the government of Taiwan to accord recognition to these micronations. From what I’m guessing, the petition is only at MOCA Taipei.

Certainly Taiwan has something in common with these treehouse projects. Like them, Taiwan is small and struggles for recognition on the world stage. Unlike them, of course, Taiwan lives not in a world constructed half from farce and half from delusions of grandeur, but in a world where denial from the World Health Organization could mean countless lives lost.

I wonder if mutual recognition among micronations, then, detracts from Taiwan’s serious aspirations toward international recognition, rather than boosting its standing among countries with unassailable legitimacy? Without international standing, is Taiwan just a glorified micronation?

“The official view of the gay government and the gay community is that ROC is the independent state of Taiwan the Kingdom also recognise the independence of Tibet. Both Tibet and Taiwan are not only recognised by our government as sovereign states but by all the gay communities appropriate committees and decisions making odies.”