Mengniu and Dongpeng End Mbappe Partnerships as China Backlash Spreads

Chinese brands cut ties after video circulates

Mengniu Dairy and Dongpeng Beverage announced on October 27, 2026, that they were ending all cooperation with French football star Kylian Mbappe, following the circulation of a video in which he apparently referred to former Chinese leader Mao Zedong as a dictator. Other brands also announced that their partnerships were over, while Xiaohongshu began checking and removing related promotional material.

Dongpeng made its announcement first that morning. Its electrolyte drink brand BUSHUILA, known in Chinese as Bushuila, issued the same statement. Mengniu followed at 11:13 a.m. with a declaration bearing its company seal, saying it would tolerate no words or actions that hurt the feelings of Chinese people.

The decisions affected partnerships with different histories. Mengniu had signed Mbappe in 2021, during preparations for the Qatar World Cup, and was described as his longest serving brand partner in China. Dongpeng had announced its agreement only in April, roughly six months before ending it.

The Real Madrid and France forward, 27, faced a widening commercial backlash as the topic of Dongpeng ending its relationship with him reached the top of the trending list on Weibo. The announcements came a day after he was reported to have lost the Ballon d'Or to Harry Kane on October 26.

What was in the circulating video?

The clip appeared to show Mbappe discussing the funniest internet meme he had seen. He described an image in which his face had been digitally placed over another person's face, apparently referring to an image of Mao.

The words attributed to Mbappe in the circulating video included:

some guy -- I think he's a Chinese dictator

The video's authenticity had not been independently verified at the time of the announcements. The clip appeared to refer to one of several internet images placing Mbappe's face on historical figures. In simple terms, this kind of meme is an altered picture shared online, often as a joke.

Mao's image gave the apparent remark its political sensitivity in China. Mao was the founding leader of the People's Republic of China, and the companies framed their decisions around national feelings. Their statements focused on the conduct they opposed and the termination of their commercial relationships.

Dongpeng makes its decision effective immediately

Dongpeng Beverage said its decision covered all cooperation with Mbappe and took effect immediately. The announcement gave the company a clear public position as discussion of the video spread across Chinese social media.

Dongpeng explained its position in its corporate statement:

Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments.

The company then set out the commercial action it was taking:

with immediate effect we are terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe

BUSHUILA published the same termination announcement. Because it is a Dongpeng brand, its statement extended the group's response to the drink label consumers would see in shops and advertising. The announcements covered both the corporate relationship and the associated product branding.

Dongpeng's partnership had been announced in April. Its end in October brought that relationship to a close within the same calendar year, contrasting with Mengniu's agreement, which had begun several years earlier.

Mengniu ends a relationship dating to 2021

Mengniu, described as China's largest dairy producer, announced its decision at 11:13 a.m. Its statement carried the company seal, a formal mark identifying the announcement as a corporate declaration.

Mengniu said the termination applied immediately:

With immediate effect our company is terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe.

The dairy company also explained the standard it said it was applying:

Mengniu firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.

Mengniu's agreement with Mbappe began in 2021, during the commercial build up to the World Cup in Qatar, which took place in 2022. That relationship had lasted about five years by the time of the October 2026 announcement, compared with roughly six months for Dongpeng.

The difference in duration shows the reach of the response across both established and recent partnerships. For Mbappe, the announcements meant losing a longstanding connection to Chinese consumers as well as a newer beverage endorsement.

More brands act, while Xiaohongshu clarifies its position

Milkground, known in Chinese as Miaokelando, also announced that it was terminating all cooperation with Mbappe. The cheese brand said it firmly opposed words and actions that hurt the feelings of Chinese people and applied a policy of zero tolerance.

Several brand accounts deleted content connected with the player. Removing promotional posts changes what consumers can see immediately, while ending a partnership addresses the underlying business relationship.

Xiaohongshu, the Chinese social platform, gave a different account of its connection to Mbappe. In an October 27 statement, it said a content collaboration undertaken in 2024 had already expired on December 31, 2024.

The platform said it opposed conduct that hurt national feelings and was continuing to check and remove related material. Its announcement therefore concerned the handling of content from an agreement that had ended almost two years earlier, while Dongpeng, Mengniu and Milkground announced terminations that day.

For readers following the growing list of company statements, the dates matter: an expired content agreement and a newly terminated endorsement involve different business decisions, even when both lead to promotional material disappearing.

How the partnerships and announcements unfolded

The relationships developed over several years before the statements arrived in quick succession on October 27. The sequence also explains why the companies described different actions.

• 2021: Mengniu signed Mbappe during preparations for the Qatar World Cup.
• 2024: Xiaohongshu worked with Mbappe on a content collaboration.
• December 31, 2024: Xiaohongshu's agreement expired, according to the platform.
• April 2026: Dongpeng announced its partnership with Mbappe.
• October 26, 2026: Mbappe was reported to have lost the Ballon d'Or to Harry Kane.
• October 27, 2026, morning: Dongpeng announced immediate termination, with BUSHUILA issuing the same statement.
• October 27, 2026, at 11:13 a.m.: Mengniu published its termination statement. Milkground also announced an end to cooperation that day, while Xiaohongshu clarified its expired agreement and removal of material.

The Ballon d'Or is an annual football award. The companies' statements centred on national sentiment and their relationships with Mbappe, as the commercial controversy followed the reported award result.

What changes for Mbappe and the brands?

Mbappe lost commercial relationships across dairy and beverage products, with the companies publicly committing to end cooperation. For the brands, the immediate visible changes included termination announcements and the deletion or review of promotional content featuring him.

The financial value of the agreements, any compensation connected with ending them, and a response from Mbappe were not disclosed in the announcements described. No timetable was given for completing the removal of all related material.

Weibo's trending list showed how quickly the issue drew attention: Dongpeng's decision became the platform's leading topic. Xiaohongshu's continuing review also meant the response extended beyond current sponsorships to content left from an older collaboration.

The clearest commercial outcome was the breadth of the withdrawals. A partnership dating to 2021, a deal announced in April and additional brand associations were all affected on the same day, while a platform with an already expired agreement moved to remove remaining material.

Key Points

• Dongpeng and Mengniu announced the immediate end of all cooperation with Mbappe on October 27, 2026.
• BUSHUILA and Milkground also issued termination announcements.
• The backlash followed a circulating video apparently referring to a meme involving Mao Zedong; its authenticity had not been independently verified.
• Mengniu's partnership began in 2021, while Dongpeng announced its agreement in April 2026.
• Xiaohongshu said its collaboration expired on December 31, 2024, and it was checking and removing related content.
• The companies cited opposition to conduct hurting national feelings; financial terms were not disclosed.