Greater China: Nike faces China ire over 'Fear' ad

BEIJING: China's advertising industry has been taken aback by the Government's move to ban a Nike commercial in which US basketball player LeBron James is shown defeating a kung-fu master and two Chinese women. The Government deemed the animated 'Chamber of fear' campaign, which also shows two dragons - a sacred symbol in China - as blasphemous and disrespectful of Chinese culture following complaints on local websites by Chinese consumers. Nike has since apologised for the campaign. "Nike did not intend the television advertisement to offend the people of China, or show disrespect to the Chinese culture," said Carolyn Wu, global issues manager. "Nike has been in the Chinese market since 1982 and greatly values our Chinese consumers."