Chinese company offers apology over ‘racist’ advert, but it doesn't wash
Leishang Cosmetics expresses regret over commercial showing black man emerging as ‘clean’ Asian, but blames others for ‘outsized’ reaction
The Chinese firm behind a detergent commercial featuring a black man crammed into a washing machine who emerges as a light-skinned Asian has apologised after the commercial went viral overseas and was held up as an example of Chinese prejudices.
However, some internet users said the apology lacked sincerity because it placed some of the blame on internet users and the media which had “read too much into” into the ad.
The commercial for Qiaobi laundry detergent shows a black man whistling and winking at a young Chinese woman, who calls him over, puts a detergent packet into his mouth and forces him head first into a washing machine.
Chinese firm behind racist detergent ad tells critics to lighten up
She sits on the lid while the man shrieks. Moments later a light-skinned Asian man emerges in clean clothes, and the woman grins, apparently pleased with the change. The commercial was posted on YouTube, where it drew the notice of Western media and commentators last week.
The company behind the detergent, Shanghai-based Leishang Cosmetics, issued a statement on its Weibo account late on Saturday night. The firm “had no intention to discriminate against people of colour”, and skin colour was not a “criteria for value judgment”, it said, adding the company strongly condemned and rejected racism.
“We express regret for the controversy caused by the advert’s contents, [and we] absolutely will not pass the buck. We’ve terminated the placement of the controversial advert and deleted some online video links. [We] hope that internet users who are exaggerating the issue and the media will no longer disseminate them,” it said.
