Organizers of Taiwan marathon apologize over trophies shaped like a Chinese machine gun

HONG KONG — Organizers of a military-linked marathon in southern Taiwan have apologized after handing out trophies in the shape of a Chinese machine gun.

The prizes from the Fengshan Marathon near the major city of Kaohsiung drew backlash over the weekend because of their close resemblance to the QBZ-95, a Chinese-developed assault rifle used by the People’s Liberation Army of China.

China sees self-governing Taiwan as a breakaway province and has not ruled out using force to achieve its unification goal. The ruling Chinese Communist Party, which came to power in 1949, has never controlled Taiwan, which rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.

The trophies were gun-themed because the route ran through multiple military facilities affiliated with Taiwan’s National Defense Ministry.

Hsu Chih-chieh, a legislator from Taiwan’s governing Democratic Progressive Party whose office co-hosted the race, said it was an “oversight” of the organizers to model the trophies after a nondomestic military firearm.

“We have requested an immediate recall and apologize for the inconvenience,” Hsu said in a Facebook post Sunday. “Future events will be handled with greater caution.”

The Kaohsiung City Fengshan Jogging Association, another organizer of the event, also issued an apology but said the trophy design choice was made with “aesthetics in mind.”

“Given the association of the military with rifles, we opted for a rifle-shaped trophy instead of a traditional one, with no other special intention behind,” the association said in a statement on Facebook.

The association said it has already contacted the manufacturer and will “proactively” reach out to the award recipients to offer to replace their trophies.

“We also urge individuals with ulterior motives to refrain from spreading unfounded accusations and labeling the event,” it added.

The National Defense Ministry said it had agreed to provide access to the facilities.

“When supporting similar events in the future, we will proactively remind the organizers to pay attention to related matters to avoid similar incidents from happening again,” it said in a statement.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment Monday.

In recent years, Taiwan has come under growing military and other pressure from China, which sends warplanes and naval vessels toward the island almost daily. On Monday, the National Defense Ministry said it had detected 26 Chinese military planes around Taiwan since 6:40 a.m., including 20 that crossed the median line that had previously served as an unofficial buffer in the Taiwan Strait.

Last month, the Chinese military carried out a “joint combat readiness patrol” about 40 nautical miles off Taiwan that included live-fire drills, which the island criticized as provocative and dangerous.

China says its military actions are “necessary, legitimate and just measures” to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“They are a resolute response to external forces’ deliberate indulgence and support of ‘Taiwan independence’ activities,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Monday at a regular briefing in Beijing.

Mao also said the United States, which has no official relations with Taiwan but is the island’s most important international backer, had “taken a series of misguided actions on the Taiwan issue,” including by amending a State Department website last month to remove the phrase “we do not support Taiwan independence.”

China also responded angrily last week to a joint statement by top diplomats from the Group of Seven nations, which includes the U.S., that condemned “coercion” against Taiwan and omitted the typical reference to G7 members’ “one China” policies, under which they recognize Beijing as the only legitimate government of China.

The G7 statements “ignore facts and China’s solemn position, grossly interfere in China’s internal affairs, and blatantly smear China,” a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Canada said in a statement Friday.

Last week, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te called China a “foreign hostile force” and proposed 17 countermeasures against what he called Beijing’s influence campaign, including strict review of applications by Chinese nationals to visit and live in Taiwan, and the reinstatement of military courts.

In response, China — which considers Lai a separatist and has rebuffed his offer of talks — called Lai a “destroyer of cross-strait peace” and “creator of crises in the Taiwan Strait.”

“We warn the Lai Ching-te administration sternly: Those who play with fire will get burned,” Chen Binhua, spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said Thursday. “Anyone who engages in ‘Taiwan independence’ separatism will end up shattered to pieces.”