Controversial Lazada advert unacceptable, says Chinese embassy

In its Facebook post, the Chinese embassy said it was aware of the “incident” and “shares the same view that the content in the video is unacceptable”, according to its spokesperson.

It was the first official response from the Chinese government regarding this matter since the furore started early this month.

The embassy’s Facebook post got almost 2,000 likes within a few hours. Many followers thanked the Chinese mission for “good understanding” about the sensitive matter.

Some commenters asked what action the Chinese government would take against the executives of the e-commerce company for “hurting the feelings of many Thais”.

Lazada, an international e-commerce company, is owned by China’s Alibaba Group.

The e-commerce platform’s promotional video, which has since been taken down, featured a transgender social-media influencer known as “Nara Crepe Katoey” and a woman in a wheelchair.

The way the disabled woman was treated in the advert led to criticism that it was a mockery of disability. Meanwhile, royalists viewed the portrayal of the wheelchair-bound woman as a veiled reference to a Royal Family member.

The influencer claimed the perceived royal insult was pure imagination.

However, angry royalists continued to push for legal action against her.

The Royal Thai Army’s commander-in-chief has banned Lazada from delivering parcels inside its premises. The Navy and Air Force, meanwhile, discouraged their personnel from buying from the online e-commerce platform.