China: Beijing welcomes Mbappé’s apology: “It is important”

Rome, 28 Oct. (LaPresse) – Beijing has welcomed the apology offered by French footballer Kylian Mbappé, who came under fire in the Asian country for comments apparently referring to Mao Zedong, whom he described as a dictator. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, when questioned by journalists about the matter, stated that China “attaches importance to the apology offered by the individual concerned”. The football star apologised yesterday for his remarks about Mao. “My comment was ill-considered; I now realise that it has hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” Mbappé said in a statement posted on his social media accounts, including in Chinese.