Adidas said the company had intended no offence by the image, which was designed by American graffiti artist Barry McGee who had previously used it in an anti-racist commentary.
A spokeswoman for the sportswear giant told the San Jose Mercury News that Adidas "appreciates all self-expression" and "had no intention of offending any individual or group".
Produced in a limited run of 1,000 pairs, the Adidas "Yellow Series Y1 Huf" shoe is on sale at $250 (£143).
"It's very sad and disturbing that in this day and age, this stereotype is coming from a large and global company like Adidas," said Vincent Pan, executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action in San Francisco and the new trainer has also been criticised in Internet discussion forums.
