Swiss watchmaker Swatch has apologised and withdrawn an advertisement after it sparked anger in China for being racist. The ad showed an Asian male model pulling the corners of his eyes, a gesture widely criticised online as offensive. Chinese social media users accused the company of racism and called for a boycott of its products. On Saturday, Swatch said in posts on Instagram and Weibo that it had removed the campaign worldwide. “We sincerely apologise for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused,” the company wrote. But many online said the apology was not enough. A popular Weibo user with more than one million followers accused Swatch of “racism against Chinese” and urged regulators to take action. Others claimed the “slant-eye” gesture” was deliberate discrimination and demanded a boycott. “The brand’s image has collapsed. (Swatch) thinks they can just apologise and salvage everything? It’s not that simple,” one user wrote. China is among Swatch Group’s biggest markets, but like other Western luxury brands, the company has struggled with falling sales as the economy slows and buyers shift to cheaper options. In July, the group reported an 11.2 percent fall in net sales in the first half of the year, blaming weak demand in China. Swatch is not the first brand to face such criticism. Dolce & Gabbana faced backlash in 2018 for ads showing a Chinese model awkwardly using chopsticks, and Dior was accused of racism in 2023 over a photo of a model pulling her eye corner.