Mbappé affair: first signs of thaw between Real Madrid and China after 'dictator' row

Chinese government says it is in contact with La Liga and Real Madrid to ease tensions after Mbappé's controversial comments about Mao Zedong.

More than a week after Kylian Mbappé's controversial remarks about Mao Zedong sparked a diplomatic row, relations between China and Real Madrid appear to be thawing. On Friday, Yao Jing, China's ambassador to Spain, announced that his government was in contact with La Liga, Real Madrid and other Spanish institutions to calm the situation.

Yao Jing told the EFE news agency that there were no formal negotiations but rather "communication based on mutual understanding." He acknowledged that the incident had hurt many people in China and expressed confidence the situation would be resolved through "interactions based on mutual respect." A fellow embassy official, Xie Tianyu, added that "the Chinese people need time to digest all this."

Despite apologies from Mbappé, Real Madrid and La Liga, no Real Madrid matches were broadcast on China's state-owned CCTV sports channels during last weekend's 11th round of fixtures, though other La Liga matches including Barcelona's were available on streaming platform Migu. La Liga president Javier Tebas said he remains in contact with Chinese authorities to restore full coverage and plans to travel to China to continue discussions.