Samsung acted with "arrogance" and "double standards" in the handling of its Galaxy Note 7 recall in China, state broadcaster CCTV wrote in a damning opinion piece on its website.
The South Korean electronics giant was forced to recall of 2.5 million of its Note 7 phablet this month after reports that the device was exploding and catching fire. Samsung acknowledged issues with the battery. But the company initially did not include China as part of the recall as Note 7s supplied in the country had a different battery maker.
But shortly after, reports of Note 7s exploding in China surfaced, forcing Samsung to issue a recall there too.
CCTV however accused Samsung in being discriminatory to its Chinese customers in the way it handled the recall. The broadcaster said that while Samsung issued a video apology to U.S. users, all Chinese consumers got was a 200 word statement.
"Samsung Electronics said they wanted to be an enterprise that's favored by the Chinese people, however it's not easy for China to like them. Samsung also wants to be the enterprise that contributed to Chinese society, but contribution requires sincerity instead of arrogance," CCTV wrote.
"Samsung made it look like they are fixing their mistakes, but in fact they are hold double standards on the recall of its products. With a less than 200 words statement, Samsung excluded China from the markets where Note 7 would be recalled and replaced. Samsung's discriminative policies have caused significant dissatisfaction among Chinese consumers."
CCTV's condemnation is likely to hinder Samsung as it looks to continue momentum in its smartphone division in China. Samsung, like Apple, is also trying to boost its presence in China, a market it once dominated but has now fallen behind local players such as Huawei and Oppo.
Earlier this week, Samsung said it had received around 60 percent of recalled Galaxy Note 7 devices in Europe with a similar figure returned in the U.S. and South Korea. In Europe, the company also said the Note 7 would go back on sale from October 28.
- Additional reporting by CNBC's Haze Fan.