Several Chinese brands cut ties with Mbappé after dictator meme comments

Chinese brands Dongpeng, Mengniu and Milkground terminated sponsorship deals after Mbappé referenced Mao Zedong as a dictator in a meme.

At least three Chinese companies have ended their sponsorship agreements with Kylian Mbappé following comments the French forward made about a meme featuring his face superimposed on the body of Mao Zedong, the founding leader of Communist China.

Dongpeng, a beverage maker, dairy giant Mengniu and cheese maker Milkground all announced the terminations on Tuesday. Each issued similarly worded statements opposing "any words and actions that hurt national sentiment." The decisions came after a video clip circulated on social media showing Mbappé being interviewed ahead of an appearance on French talk show "The Bridge," where he was asked about his favourite meme of himself. He replied that it was "a video someone made of a guy ... I think he was a Chinese dictator" before the video showed the altered image.

Mbappé's face had appeared extensively in Chinese advertising across subway stations and elevators. Social media platform RedNote also ended a content partnership that was set to expire on 31 December 2024 and said it would remove promotional materials. On Chinese social media, hashtags criticising the move topped Weibo's trending list, with some users calling for a boycott.