UFO as in Unidentified Flying Object

"We believe that Mbappe's outrageous remarks have harmed the Chinese people, crossed a line, and exceeded the scope of freedom of speech. Mbappe is a Real Madrid player, and the club bears significant responsibility. We reiterate that words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with resistance from all sectors of Chinese society. We hope Real Madrid will not indulge in wishful thinking. Until Real Madrid issues an apology, all other discussions are off-limits."

China had completely missed this video until Monday, October 26, when it was dug up by the Chinese football-focused website Dongqiudi, which warned that Kylian Mbappé had made offensive remarks about the Chinese people, without actually airing the remarks. In the video, he is asked a question referencing viral memes from the 2026 World Cup showing the French international dressed up as a dictator. “Which meme featuring your face made you laugh the most?” asks Aurélien Tchouaméni. The forward replies: “The one that made me laugh the most was when they posted a video of a guy, I think he’s a Chinese dictator. [...] I use it a lot with my friends online, for PlayStation.”

Official US Select Committee on China Statement:

International soccer star @KMbappe should not apologize for calling Mao Zedong a dictator. Mao was a dictator, and by orders of magnitude, he did more harm to the Chinese people than a comment from a soccer player ever could. Mao was the leader of the CCP for decades and his dictatorship and disastrous policies killed tens of millions of Chinese people in the Cultural Revolution, the Great Famine, and other atrocities.

Involved in the Party from its first national meeting in 1921, Mao is the principal historical figure for a Party that continues his practices of oppression and ideological purges. For decades, the CCP has denied the Chinese people basic human rights including freedom of expression and freedom of religion. These are rights enjoyed by Mbappe and millions of people around the world and Mbappe should exercise this opportunity to tell the horrific truth about Mao’s dictatorship.

The real disgrace in this news story is the companies rushing to apologize so they can continue to do business in China. The CCP is the largest oppressor of the Chinese people and their human rights, and those businesses that work with the CCP help normalize its crushing brutality.