Sneaker maker Asics Corp. appears to have dodged the controversies in China that tripped up Nike Inc. last quarter, as the Japanese company’s performance there propelled it back to profit in 2021.

Foreign sports brands struggled in China last year as controversy erupted over cotton sourced from the Xinjiang region, with patriotic consumers ditching the likes of Nike and Adidas AG in favor of local brands.

That’s made Asics’s performance a surprise, with a preliminary report for the year ended December showing net income of ¥9 billion ($78 million) — more than double its guidance. Its shares in Tokyo surged as much as 15%, the best performance since May.