A Chinese detergent company have come out to respond to criticisms after their advert which depicted a black man being thrown into a washing machine and turned into an Asian man.
The video which went viral this past week was criticised for its depiction of black people.
The company, Shanghai Leishang Cosmetics, apologised to the anyone the advert offended but also blamed foreign media for overblowing the situation.
“We express regret that the ad should have caused a controversy,” the statement issued late on Saturday said. “But we will not shun responsibility for controversial content.”
“We express our apology for the harm caused to the African people because of the spread of the ad and the over-amplification by the media,
“We sincerely hope the public and the media will not over-read it.”
The advert was pulled by the Chinese company, but the content Sparked a discussion regarding racial discrimination in China where it is reported still exists.
If you haven’t seen the video, you can see it below.