"Fist in the head" to Jinping PHOTO/VIDEO

"Fist in the head" to Jinping PHOTO/VIDEO

The patches have attracted attention because they are a provocation directed at Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Namely, the patches show a Formosan black bear (which is the symbol of Taiwan) punching Winnie the Pooh - who represents Chinese President Xi Jinping - as a defiant symbol of the island's resistance to Chinese military provocations.

China began a three-day military exercise around Taiwan on Saturday (April 8), a day after the island's President Tsai Ing-wen returned from a short visit to the United States, where she met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy despite warnings from Beijing.

Alex Su, who designed the patch, has been selling it at his shop since last year, but saw a spike in orders after Taiwan's military news agency published a photo of the patch on the arm of a pilot inspecting a fighter jet on Saturday.

"I wanted to boost the morale of our troops by designing this patch," said Su, who owns Wings Fan Goods Shop.

Su said he ordered more patches to meet the increased demand. Among the customers were military officers and civilians. The patch features an angry Formosan black bear holding a Taiwan flag and punching Winnie the Pooh, with the slogan "Scramble!" -- referring to what the island's pilots have had to do with increased frequency over the past three years as China sends more aircraft into Taiwan's air defense identification zone.

The endangered Formosan black bear is considered a symbol of Taiwanese identity. Taiwan was formerly known internationally as Formosa.

This patch caused great enthusiasm and is in high demand outside of military circles as well.

"Where can we get a patch like this? Guaranteed to be the best seller," the Taiwan Embassy in the United States tweeted on Monday.

Taiwan's air force told Reuters that while it does not specifically encourage its members to wear the patch, which is not part of their uniform, it will "keep an open mind" to anything that boosts morale.