Take That, Xi Jinping? Taiwan Air Force Delivers 'Punch' To China With Viral Badge Of Winnie The Pooh

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.

See Also: Xi Jinping ‘Mimicking' Biden's Tactics May Not Work, Says Political Analyst: ‘It Is Anything But Flattery'

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.

“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.

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