Nike, the multinational athletic shoe and sportswear giant, issued an apology to Chinese customers Friday, not long after China banned its new television commercial "Chamber of Fear" for insulting Chinese national dignity.

"Nike Inc. is sorry for concerns and worries aroused among Chinese customers after the commercial was aired, and we by no means disrespect Chinese culture," it said in a statement sent to major Chinese newspapers and web media based in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou through its public relations agent in China, the Shanghai-based @PR Consulting Ltd..

The commercial, broadcast on local Chinese stations and on state television's national sports channel, shows 19-year-old NBA star LeBron James defeating a kung fu master, two women in traditional Chinese attire and a pair of dragons, symbols of traditional Chinese culture.

The State Administration for Radio, Film and Television on Monday said in a statement issued on Dec. 3 that the commercial "violates regulations that mandate that all advertisements in China should uphold national dignity and interest and respect the motherland's culture."

The ad had been airing in China since Nov. 1, the day before the start of the NBA season. Chinese newspapers and on-line media this week gave broad coverage of the ban, with discussions being heatedly carried on the Internet and commentary columns of many local newspapers.

Immediately following the ban, Maurice Zhou, a spokesman in Shanghai for Nike Inc. said the company "respected the government's decision."

In Friday's statement, Nike said the idea of the commercial was borrowed from Hong Kong's kung fu films in 1970s and combined with today's youth culture.

"Nike wishes to encourage Asian teenagers to overcome fear and strive forward, showing their own basketball style," the apology said.

It said the commercial tried to show James's growing-up story that he faced and overcome fears and difficulties. The cultural figures were used as metaphor of fear.

It is not the first time Nike has run into trouble with its television advertisements. Observers said the company, targeting the market of the young, frequently used controversial advertising to grab the attention of youth.

In August, Nike withdrew an ad from Australian television featuring young girls trying to impress a male tennis coach after local morals groups protested it trivialized paedophilia.

And last month, Nike ads, also featuring James, designed to resemble graffiti provoked controversy and protests in famously conservative Singapore.

(Xinhua News Agency December 9, 2004)