台湾のクマがプーさんをパンチ　空軍操縦士着用のワッペンが話題に

【台北ＡＦＰ＝時事】台湾固有種のクロクマが「くまのプーさん」にパンチをお見舞い──。愛国心とユーモアあふれるこのワッペンが台湾全土で話題になっている。（写真はタイワンツキノワグマがくまのプーさんにパンチをお見舞する様子が描かれたワッペン。台湾・桃園の店で。）
　くまのプーさんは中国の習近平国家主席に似ているとされる。台湾空軍の一部の操縦士が着用したこのワッペンには、習氏への対抗というメッセージが込められている。
　中国は８日から３日間の日程で、自国領土の一部と見なす台湾の包囲と攻撃を想定した軍事演習を実施。先週蔡英文総統が米カリフォルニア州でケビン・マッカーシー下院議長と会談したことへの対抗措置とされる。
　台湾国防部はこの演習期間中に、軍備の充実をアピールする画像を公開。中でもソーシャルメディアで注目を集めたのが戦闘機を点検する空軍操縦士の写真で、その腕には台湾旗を手にしたタイワンツキノワグマがくまのプーさんをパンチしているイラスト入りのワッペンが写っていた。
　あるフェイスブック利用者は「素晴らしい。ここ数日で一番うれしい物だ」と書き込んだ。別の利用者は「中国税関を通る時はこれを着用しよう」と促した。
　ワッペンは桃園にある企業が製作したもので、１枚２００台湾元（約８７０円）。市民が次々に買い求め、現在は品切れ中だという。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/04/12-16:47）

Patriotic badges showing Winnie the Pooh being punched in the face by a Taiwanese black bear -- a humorous dig at China's leader Xi Jinping -- have gone viral across the self-ruled island.
The iron-on patches being worn by some of Taiwan's air force pilots are a defiant message to Xi, who is often satirised for looking like the honey-loving cartoon bear.
It's amazing. It's the happiest thing in recent days,social media user Mark Sasha Liangsaid on Facebook.
Chen Kai-chu, another fan, said: Wear this to go through Chinese customs.
China, which claims the island as part of its territory, launched three days of massive war games on Saturday that involved simulating attacks on democratic Taiwan.
The show of force from Beijing was a response to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last week.
Taiwan's defence ministry released a series of images and videos during the drills to show off its military preparedness.
One picture in particular, of an airforce pilot inspecting a fighter jet, immediately caught the eye of social media users.
They noticed on the sleeve of his jacket a patch featuring an illustration of a flag-wielding Formosan black bear pounding Winnie the Pooh.
The discovery set off a social media storm.
Two of the badges have the word scramble at the bottom, one of them also proclaiming we are open 24/7.
A third badge designed last year shows a Taiwanese fighter pilot slapping a panda, China's national symbol.
It was produced when China carried out similar exercises in response to then-US House speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei last year.
Taiwanese people have rushed to buy the Pooh-punching patches, which sell for 200 Taiwan dollars (US$6.50).
The badges originated at Wings Fan Goods in Taoyuan city, east of the capital Taipei, where they have now sold out.
It's so famous that my friends on the other side of the Pacific are asking me about this, fan Mob Liu said on Facebook.
Social media was flooded with requests for the patches, some from as far away as the United States.
Please restock, said one user, identified as Abigail Eileen.
Sepfry Ng asked: Can you ship overseas? To Hong Kong?
A Facebook vendor who sells the patches said he has received around 1,000 orders since the image went viral on Saturday.
Most of the requests are from Taiwan but some have even been received from China.
The people of Taiwan are disgusted with China's overacting military exercises after the Tsai-McCarthy meeting so this pilot's badge sparked discussion, said the Facebook vendor, who asked to be identified by his business name Wizardgeo.
The people support the military in defending our sovereignty.