It's gonna be huge: China factory hatches giant Trump chickens

A Chinese factory is hatching giant inflatable chickens resembling Donald Trump to usher in the Year of the Rooster.

The five-metre (16-foot) fowls sport the distinctive golden mane of the US president-elect and mimic his signature hand gestures with their tiny wings.

Cartoon figures of animals from the Chinese zodiac are ubiquitous around Chinese New Year at the end of this month.

The balloon factory is selling its presidential birds for as much as 14,400 yuan ($2,080) on Chinese shopping site Taobao for a 10-metre version.

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"I saw his image on the news and he has a lot of personality, and since Year of the Rooster is coming up I mixed these two elements together to make a Chinese chicken," factory owner Wei Qing told AFP.

"It is so funny, so we designed it and tried to sell it and it turned out to be popular.”

The cartoon balloon appeared to be based on a sculpture designed by US artist Casey Latiolais, which was unveiled at a shopping mall last month in Taiyuan, capital of the northern province of Shanxi.

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Wei said he was not aware that the American designer had created the original, but added that "there are some differences in the facial expression. And that one is glass. Ours is inflatable."

Trump has captured the Chinese imagination and riled its authorities, threatening to get tough on trade practices he says are unfair after taking office on January 20.

He also angered China by taking a phone call from Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, breaking with decades of US diplomatic practice.