The United States Select Committee on China has said Kylian Mbappe "should not apologize" for describing Mao Zedong as a dictator, after three Chinese companies ended their commercial relationships with the Real Madrid forward.
In a statement shared on social media, the committee wrote: "International soccer star @KMbappe should not apologize for calling Mao Zedong a dictator. Mao was a dictator, and by orders of magnitude, he did more harm to the Chinese people than a comment from a soccer player ever could."
The committee added that Mao led the Chinese Communist Party for decades and that "his dictatorship and disastrous policies killed tens of millions of Chinese people in the Cultural Revolution, the Great Famine, and other atrocities."
Firms end deals with Mbappe
Beverage producer Dongpeng, dairy giant Mengniu and cheese maker Milkground all confirmed on Tuesday that they had terminated their agreements with the French forward. Each organisation also stated that it condemns "any words and actions that hurt national sentiment".
The firms did not provide detailed explanations for their decisions. The move followed online footage showing Mbappe apparently being interviewed on "The Bridge", a French digital chat programme.
In the video, Mbappe was asked about his preferred meme featuring himself. He replied that it was "a video someone made of a guy...I think he was a Chinese dictator", before the clip displayed an altered photograph showing his face superimposed onto the blue-suited form of Mao Zedong, who ruled China from 1949 until 1976.
Mbappe issues apology
Mbappe released a statement apologising for his "ill-judged" comments. "During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself. My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world," he said.
"I apologise to everyone my words have upset. This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry."
Committee criticises corporate response
The Select Committee on China also directed criticism at the companies that ended their deals, stating: "The real disgrace in this news story is the companies rushing to apologize so they can continue to do business in China."
It added: "The CCP is the largest oppressor of the Chinese people and their human rights, and those businesses that work with the CCP help normalize its crushing brutality."
The committee said Mao remained the principal historical figure for a party that, in its words, continues "his practices of oppression and ideological purges", and argued that Mbappe should use the opportunity to "tell the horrific truth about Mao's dictatorship".
Football supporters online routinely refer to the striker as a dictator, with memes depicting him as Mao or other authoritarian figures regularly shared across social media platforms.
