French football player Kylian Mbappé, who is dubbed a dictator on the field, is facing intense backlash from China  following his comments referring to Chinese leader Mao Zedong as a “dictator.” (Photo: @QuanLujun/X) At least three Chinese brands, including dairy companies Mengniu, Shanghai Milkground Food Tech, and Eastroc Beverage, issued statements terminating their sponsorship of Mbappé over the accusation that his actions “hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.” Before the incident, Mbappé was a world ambassador for these Chinese brands, and his face appeared on many packages and advertisements in China.  During an interview with French media “The Bridge” in April, Mbappé was asked about his favorite internet meme featuring himself. He mentioned a reproduced picture mixing his face with Mao’s, which had become a viral online image and was recently at the center of a trending debate on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform. Many netizens called for a boycott ...