China Opens Dialogue With Real Madrid and LaLiga Following Kylian Mbappe Mao Controversy

China has opened communication with Real Madrid and LaLiga following the controversy surrounding Kylian Mbappe's remarks about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, with the fallout already affecting Spanish football's commercial interests in the country.

Chinese ambassador to Spain Yao Jing confirmed that discussions were ongoing as the parties seek to address the anger caused by the France international's comments.

Speaking to Spanish news agency EFE on Friday ahead of a forum at the University of Salamanca, Yao clarified that the conversations had not reached the stage of formal negotiations.

"There are no negotiations, but there is communication, based on mutual understanding," he said, adding, "This unfortunate incident hurt the feelings of many people in China, who now have to come to terms with the current situation."

The controversy erupted after a video circulated online showing Mbappe discussing a meme featuring his face superimposed on an image of Mao, who founded modern China and governed the country from 1949 until his death in 1976.

The Real Madrid forward described the figure as "some guy, I think he's a Chinese dictator" without explicitly naming Mao. Mbappe, Real Madrid and LaLiga subsequently issued apologies.

However, the incident has triggered commercial consequences, with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV suspending its LaLiga coverage and several brands removing Mbappe from their marketing campaigns.

Streaming platform Migu also omitted Real Madrid's recent match against Racing Santander from its coverage, despite broadcasting other Spanish league fixtures.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas has since met Yao as Spanish football attempts to contain the damage. He confirmed on Monday that the league remained in dialogue with Chinese authorities and was "working to resolve it".

Tebas also stressed that LaLiga continued to enjoy an "extraordinary relationship" with CCTV and Migu, despite the dispute.

The financial stakes are significant, with the league's broadcasting agreements with the two Chinese platforms worth approximately €10 million annually. The figure represents a considerable decline from the €100 million per year the rights reportedly generated at their peak.

The current agreement between LaLiga and Migu runs until the end of the 2029-30 season, leaving the league with a strong commercial incentive to restore relations. China Media Group previously indicated that it would listen to Mbappe's apology but would, "more importantly", watch his subsequent actions.