Major brands in China have dropped Kylian Mbappé over a clip in which the French football megastar appeared to mock Mao Zedong. In the video, widely shared on X , Mbappé is asked about the funniest internet meme he has seen featuring himself. He said it was of his face photoshopped onto that of “some guy — I think he’s a Chinese dictator.” In China, jokes about Mao Zedong, the country’s modern founding leader, are considered disrespectful. Beverage-maker Dongpeng and dairy giant Mengniu announced Tuesday that they were ending agreements with the French player, although neither mentioned the video as the reason.
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