China warns of diplomatic row with Germany over 'insulting' T-shirts

Chinese officials in Germany have warned of a diplomatic row over a clothing line producing T-shirts emblazoned with jokey English slogans that they said insult China.

According to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW), the officials have also demanded an apology from a German company, Spreadshirt, and asked it to stop selling the T-shirts, which come inscribed with slogans like "Save a dog, eat a Chinese" and "Save a shark, eat a Chinese." A third T-shirt depicts two Chinese-style characters having sex, with the caption "Now I understand Chinese" written underneath.

The controversy could even taint relations between the two countries, the embassy warned on Friday.

The embassy said in its statement, "At the same time, we demand from the German supervisory authorities to exercise their duties with regard to the business activities of the company and the website so that the friendly feelings between our two people will not be damaged."

The statement also said that trade and economics officials have already met with representatives from the company "to express our great displeasure" with the T-shirts.

China's "People's Daily" reported that the website had pulled the shirts, but a cursory check on the company's website found that the items were still being sold as of Friday.

According to the "Global Times," another Chinese state-run news outlet, a spokesperson for the Leipzig-based Spreadshirt said they were not responsible for the shirts, as the company serves as a platform for other designers to sell their clothing.