Survivor of Mao’s cultural revolution speaks out on Kylian Mbappe fallout in China over laughed-at meme

Global soccer star Kylian Mbappe laughing at a meme involving China’s late dictator Mao Zedong has resulted in days of backlash, TV blackouts, lost sponsors, and what is at least being presented as utter hysteria around the country. One woman who grew up in China during Mao’s Cultural Revolution is not only pushing back against her home country’s reaction, but also calling out how blatantly ridiculous the situation is.

Xi Van Fleet, a Chinese-American author and anti-communist activist, joined Fox Business on Thursday, and when asked about Mbappe’s practically immediate apology, she laid out the reality of the situation.

“This is really interesting, because most of the people in China have no idea what Mbappe said,” she began. “They were told that he insulted China. You have no freedom of speech, you have no freedom of press, you don’t know what really happened. You just do what the government tells you to do.

“Is Mao not a dictator? I lived my entire youth under Mao, and there is no one who doesn’t know anyone else who died because of Mao’s rule. He killed up to 80 million Chinese. Calling him a dictator is not even appropriate. He is a tyrant, and he is a mass murderer.”

The controversy involving China and Mbappe started after a recent interview on The Bridge, a French talk show hosted by Mbappe’s Real Madrid teammate Aurelien Tchouameni, when the 27-year-old Frenchman laughed about a meme with his face imposed on an image resembling Mao. One of Mbappe’s most popular nicknames is “The Dictator,” hence the meme and joking around.

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Bottles of Dongpeng Beverage Group’s “Bushuila” electrolyte drink featuring French football star Kylian Mbappe on the packaging are displayed at a convenience store in Beijing on October 27, 2026. Kylian Mbappe was dropped October 27 by two major brands in China after a video circulated online in which the French football star apparently joked about former leader Mao Zedong. (Photo by Pedro PARDO / AFP via Getty Images) (Pedro PARDO / AFP via Getty Images)

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China’s rulers did not find anything funny about Mbappe’s interaction with the meme. Several Chinese sponsors severed ties with him, and state-run CCTV stopped airing La Liga matches in China, the top-flight league in Spain that features Real Madrid and 19 other clubs.

La Liga issued the first public apology, which was then followed by Mbappe, and eventually an apology came from Real Madrid. The Spanish club initially expressed that Mbappe’s “personal expression” would not affect commercial connections in China, nor did he intend to offend the Chinese people. CCTV responded by demanding a formal apology from the club, which it obliged to on Wednesday.

Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid CF laments during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD3 match between Real Madrid CF and RB Leipzig at Bernabeu stadium on October 21, 2026, in Madrid, Spain. (Photo By Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images)

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For Xi, the swift apologies from Mbappe and all involved are frustrating, and as she explained, she would have advised the soccer star to go a different route.

“The truth will set you free; know who Mao was and then you should stand by what you said,” she explained.