CNN President Jim Walton has apologized for the insulting remarks by CNN commentator Jack Cafferty on China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Thursday.

"On behalf of CNN I'd like to apologize to the Chinese people for that," said Walton in a letter to Chinese ambassador to the United States Zhou Wenzhong, according to Qin.

Walton also said, "CNN has the highest respect for Chinese people around the world and we have no doubt that there was genuine offense felt by them over the Jack Cafferty commentary."

In early April, Cafferty said in a live show that Chinese products were "junk" and the Chinese were "basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years."

As a result of complaints from China, CNN in April issued a statement saying "it was not Mr. Cafferty's nor CNN's intent to cause offense to the Chinese people, and CNN would apologise to anyone who has interpreted the comments in this way."

At that time the network stated that Cafferty was offering his "strongly held" opinion of the Chinese government, not China's people.

(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2008)