Beijing warns foreign brands after Mbappé controversy
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on La Nouvelle Tribune
The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, warned foreign brands that they cannot regard China as merely a consumer market after the controversy surrounding Kylian Mbappé. The Global Times also called for tighter rules on public conduct in commercial contracts, La Nouvelle Tribune reports.
The People’s Daily, the official mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, warned foreign brands on 28 October 2026 that they could not regard China as merely a consumer and revenue market. The newspaper called on companies to understand the historical and political context in which Chinese consumers engage with their brands, after the controversy caused by Kylian Mbappé, the French Real Madrid striker, according to the People’s Daily.
The state-run Global Times had called the previous day for commercial contracts to include more precise clauses on public conduct by celebrities. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun had also said on 27 October that remarks hurting the feelings of the Chinese people would face opposition from all sectors of society, while the Chinese Football Association demanded public apologies from Mbappé and Real Madrid.
The warning comes after the termination of Mbappé’s sponsorship contracts, announced on 27 October, and the continuation of the boycott of Mbappé despite his apology, on 28 October.
