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I don't think you are racist by the fact that you call someone a name that has some kind of ethnic origin behind it. However,
it's something I'd not do unless the person themselves took the name themselves and found it endearing.
The danger isn't in getting your friend upset, but someone who might witness your friendly banter may take offence to it as it is a name that they would not want to be called and a name that their culture may have been trying to shrug off for years.
If you are using the name in a way that is meant to be demeaning or take something away from the person or their origins, then yes, it is racist. If it is meant to get some kind of rise out of the person, even a slight annoyance then it is racist. I think Mantus has it right about "Acting on stereotypes".
I think the 'cautiously insensitive' label given above is accurate. You have to remember context is everything, but not everyone will have the same context as yourself. People have different values and understandigs of this, and what may be a completely innocent statement may be read incorrectly by others.
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