Legal experts are calling for tougher punishments for companies that sell substandard and overpriced products in China.

The Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce disclosed that it had fined Nike 4.87 million yuan ($780,700) for selling in China a brand of sneaker that had only one air cushion in each shoe, while advertising in the country and abroad that the shoes' midsoles have two air cushions.

"This is not only discriminatory to Chinese consumers, but also a violation of Chinese laws and regulations," said Yi Shenghua, a lawyer at Yingke Law Firm in Beijing."We should reflect on the regulatory system and government standards in the country while stepping up punishment for this kind of behavior," he said.

However, an official from Nike's public relations department said the issue was simply a mistake, and denied the company had a double standard for China and elsewhere.

The official said Nike accepts and respects how Chinese authorities have handled this issue to date, and Nike will make sure all its products sold in China comply with the country's standards and regulations while remaining committed to delivering quality products to consumers in China and around the world.

Experts said it is not the first time that Chinese consumers have been treated differently.
"The deceptive advertising and double standards for the products of some international companies are growing more and more common these days," Yi said. "Many of the international giants should be attaching more attention to the Chinese market."

The Chinese government should do more to protect the rights of consumers, he added.
Liu Weifang, a student with Imperial College London, said most of the footwear and clothes for her family are purchased from abroad, where she said they are of better quality and cost less.

滬江英語快訊：耐克去年銷售的一款售價高達1299元的高端籃球鞋，主要賣點之一就是有前后掌的雙氣墊，同樣的宣傳，價格卻比國外高出好幾百元，中國消費者買到手的卻只帶一個氣墊。耐克因此被罰487萬元，這是北京工商針對“雙重標準”開出的首張罰單。

運動鞋做為標準化產(chǎn)品，既然在產(chǎn)品宣傳上公布的規(guī)格一致，就應(yīng)對所有的消費者提供同樣的產(chǎn)品，如此“雙重標準”是在公然欺騙消費者，理應(yīng)受到嚴厲處罰。當然，從現(xiàn)實情況來看，耐克的“雙重標準”行為并非罕見，而且部分企業(yè)有過之無不及，情況比耐克更為嚴重。有關(guān)部門應(yīng)該仔細調(diào)查，如發(fā)現(xiàn)類似情況，嚴懲不貸，力求營造一個公平競爭的市場環(huán)境。