Canada and China are embroiled in a growing diplomatic incident over T-shirts that say “Wuhan” using a modified version of the Wu-Tang Clan logo. Insulted Chinese critics say that the “W” on the shirts, which were reportedly ordered last summer by diplomats at the Canadian embassy in Beijing, is meant to represent a bat, playing on racist stereotypes that blame the coronavirus outbreak on wet markets and bat eating in Wuhan.

“The T-shirt logo designed by a member of the Embassy shows a stylized W, and is not intended to represent a bat,” Canadian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christelle Chartrand said on Wednesday. “It was created for the team of Embassy staff working on repatriation of Canadians from Wuhan in early 2020. This was a personal initiative from an employee and this was not endorsed by the Embassy nor Global Affairs Canada. We regret the misunderstanding.”

But Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, rejects Canada’s explanation as “not convincing.” In a statement, Wang adds, “The wrongdoing of the Canadian staff concerned has already caused an egregious impact and triggered strong resentment and discontent among the ordinary Chinese people. The Canadian side should take the matter seriously and give a clear explanation to the Chinese side as soon as possible.”

The Associated Press reports that this controversy is just the latest in strained relations between Canada and China. Meng Wanzhou, a top executive of Chinese communications giant Huawei wanted in the United States on fraud charges, was arrested in Ottawa in 2018. Following unsuccessful demands for her release, China detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor last year, charging them with espionage in a move widely viewed as retribution.

China's Foreign Ministry says it has lodged a solemn representation with the Canadian Embassy over reports staff ordered t-shirts last year with "Wuhan" and a "bat symbol." Per blogger Zhou Xiaoping, this is the image. Any hip-hop fan can tell you though that's a W for the Wu pic.twitter.com/ooTFzh2oRn

— Austin Ramzy (@austinramzy) February 1, 2021