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(Reuters) Taiwanese are rushing to buy the patches worn by Air Force pilots as a defiant symbol of the island’s resistance to Chinese military exercises.
China began three days of military drills around Taiwan on Saturday, a day after Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen returned from a brief visit to the United States, and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy despite Beijing’s warnings. I met
Chinese censors have long targeted a representation of Winnie the Pooh, created by British author AA Milne, for an internet meme comparing a fictional bear to China’s leader.
Alec Hsu, who designed the patch, has been selling it in his store since last year, but orders surged after a Taiwanese military news agency posted a photo of the patch on the arm of a pilot inspecting a fighter jet on Saturday. .
Hsu, owner of Wings Fan Goods Shop, said:
Hsu said he has ordered more patches to meet the increased demand. Customers include military officers and civilians.
The patch depicts an angry Formosan black bear holding a Taiwanese flag and beating Winnie the Pooh with the slogan “Scramble!” Noting what island pilots have had to do more frequently over the past three years as China pumps more aircraft into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone, a self-declared buffer zone that extends beyond the island’s airspace. are doing.
The endangered Formosan black bear is considered a symbol of Taiwanese identity. Taiwan was formerly known internationally as Formosa.
“Where can I get a patch like that? It’s sure to be a bestseller!” the de facto Taiwanese embassy in the United States tweeted Monday.
The Taiwanese Air Force told Reuters it did not “particularly encourage” the wearing of patches that were not part of the uniform, but would “maintain an open stance” towards morale boosters.
Although the Chinese Communist Party never ruled Taiwan, it claims that it democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory and does not deny taking the island by force. Tsai’s administration has denied China’s sovereignty claims, saying only the people of Taiwan can decide their future.
The Winnie the Pooh patch cannot be found on Chinese social media, but the Chinese government also promotes videos and commentary about its training around Taiwan.
The People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command, the front-line Chinese force in any military action against Taiwan, released a video on Monday of the drill, set to upbeat music.
The video targeted a Taiwanese audience using traditional Chinese characters, which are still used in Taiwan but are no longer used in mainland China.
chinese military exercises
Chinese state media said the Chinese exercises focused on conducting “naval blockades” and “ambushes on enemy moored ships” in the Taiwan Strait, waters northwest, southwest and east of Taiwan.
Over the weekend, several units of the People’s Liberation Army carried out “simulated joint precision strikes against key targets on the island of Taiwan” in the surrounding waters, state media reported.
Analyst Carl Schuster, former director of operations for the U.S. Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, said the PLA was “executing the air coordination and joint operations necessary to initiate a blockade of Taiwan’s ports and air routes. are probably improving,” he said.
A Chinese blockade of Taiwan could cut off supplies entering the island, including military aid and other cargo from the United States and its partners.
The United States has a legal obligation to provide defensive weapons to Taiwan through the Taiwan Relations Act, but it remains deliberately vague as to whether it will defend Taiwan in the event of an attempted attack by China. .
Beijing has repeatedly warned against Tsai meeting with McCarthy, threatening to take “strong and decisive action” if it does.
After the exercise began, the Chinese government described the exercise as “a serious warning against collusion between Taiwanese separatist forces and external forces, and a necessary move to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Sun Li-fang, a spokesperson for Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense, said the PLA’s exercises had “destabilized” the region.
“President Tsai’s visit serves as an excuse for their exercises and their actions seriously threaten the security of the surrounding area,” he said, adding that the island’s air defense forces were on “high alert.”
Beijing conducted similar large-scale military exercises around Taiwan last August after then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island.
CNN’s Brad Rendon contributed to this article
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