Beijing avoids clarifying if it will lift Mbappé boycott

China's Foreign Ministry acknowledged Mbappé's apology for Mao Zedong meme comments but stopped short of confirming whether the boycott will be lifted.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Wednesday that Beijing values the apology issued by Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé over comments about a meme superimposing his face onto Mao Zedong. However, when pressed on whether the apology would lead to lifting the boycott and measures imposed by Chinese institutions, Guo repeated his initial response without clarifying what further actions might be needed.

Mbappé apologized in French, Chinese and English on Tuesday, calling his remarks a "slip" and expressing deep respect for the Chinese people and history. The controversy erupted after he mentioned in an interview that one of his favourite memes was an image of his face superimposed onto a "Chinese dictator," referring to Mao without naming him explicitly.

The row has triggered significant fallout: Chinese companies Dongpeng, Mengniu and Milkground terminated commercial agreements with Mbappé, his content faced restrictions on digital platforms, and state broadcaster China Media Group suspended La Liga broadcasts, Mbappé-related matches and his advertisements. La Liga president Javier Tebas met with China's ambassador to Spain on Tuesday seeking a resolution.