Taiwan citizens have got another reason to showcase strong resistance through "Punching Pooh" badges against China which conducted three-day military drills around the island.
This comes as unique badges went viral in the country after Taiwanese air force pilots show an angry Formosan black bear – seen as a symbol of Taiwanese identity – punching Winnie the Pooh – that represents Chinese President Xi Jinping. The badges carry different slogans like "Scramble!", "we are open 24/7" and "fight for freedom".
The photos of badges attached on the arm of a Taiwanese pilot inspecting a fighter jet were released by Taiwan government-owned Military News Agency on Saturday.
These Punching Pooh badges have created buzz among the Taiwanese public and are now being sold for 200 Taiwanese dollars ($6.50). They have been produced by Wings Fan Goods in Taoyuan city, east of capital Taipei.
Notably, Xi Jinping had become infamously associated with the character created by British author AA Milne, following a meeting with Barack Obama, who was then the US president, for a summit in 2013.
On Monday, the Chinese military finished its three-day “combat readiness patrol” around the self-governed island, a day after president Tsai Ing-wen returned to Taipei following a meeting with US House of Representatives speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said Chinese warships were still present in the waters around Taiwan on Tuesday even after Beijing announced the end of the war games.