Taiwanese residents are going crazy over patches that show a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh, which is meant to represent China’s President Xi Jinping.
What Happened: The patches, being worn by the island nation’s air force pilots, are being used as a symbol to express the island’s opposition to Chinese war games in the Taiwan strait, reported Reuters.
The slogan on the patch reads “Scramble!.”
After Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing Wen returned from a brief visit to the U.S., where she met House Speaker Kevin McCarthy despite Beijing’s warnings, China began three days of military drills around Taiwan.
For a long, the Chinese authorities have been censoring any depictions of Winnie the Pooh as internet memes compare the fictional bear to the Chinese leader.
Alec Hsu, who created the patch and has been selling it at his store since last year, said he has noticed a sudden increase in orders after a picture of the patch on the arm of a pilot inspecting a fighter jet was published by Taiwan’s military news agency last week.
“I wanted to boost the morale of our troops through designing this patch,” Hsu, who owns Wings Fan Goods Shop, told the publication.
Hsu has placed additional orders for the patches to accommodate the increased demand. According to him, military officers and civilians have been purchasing these patches.
Why It Matters: Chinese government has been ramping up military and political pressure to try and get Taipei to accept Beijing's sovereignty, including staging war games near the island and warplanes into Taiwan's air defense zone.
Michael McCaul, the House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, cautioned that Beijing would likely attempt to meddle in the island nation’s upcoming election.
Read Next: Kevin McCarthy Slams Xi Jinping After Meeting Taiwan President, Says China Can't ‘Tell Me…Who I Can Speak To'
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