Dongpeng and Mengniu end Mbappé partnerships

Dongpeng Beverage and Mengniu said Tuesday they were ending all cooperation with Kylian Mbappé, effective immediately, after a video circulated online that appeared to show the French footballer discussing a meme involving former Chinese leader Mao Zedong. The video’s authenticity has not been immediately verified, and the precise context of the apparent remarks remains unclear. Dongpeng said it opposed conduct it considered offensive to national sentiment. Mengniu, China’s largest dairy producer, said it opposed words or actions it considered hurtful to Chinese people. Both companies announced their decisions in statements; their explanations reflect the companies’ stated rationales. The video appeared to show Mbappé describing as the funniest internet meme he had seen an image of his face edited onto a person he thought was a Chinese dictator. The clip appeared to refer to a meme placing Mbappé’s face on an image of Mao, who led China and died in 1976. AFP Fact Check could not immediately verify the recording’s authenticity. The announcements drew attention on Chinese social media, where “Dongpeng Beverage ends cooperation with Mbappe” became a trending topic on Weibo. Some...