China's foreign ministry responded on Wednesday to the crisis involving Kylian Mbappé, saying it valued his apology but giving no indication that a boycott affecting Mbappé and La Liga would be lifted. The response came after Mbappé published an official apology on Tuesday.
Foreign ministry response
According to the Spanish news agency efe, ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said in response to a question about the French player's statement: "We attach importance to the apology offered by the person concerned."
When asked whether the apology would help lift the boycott, Guo repeated the same answer and added nothing.
What Mbappé said in his apology
Mbappé published an official apology on Tuesday in French, Chinese and English.
In his apology, Mbappé described his comments as a "slip of the tongue", said his words had hurt many people in China and among Chinese communities abroad, and expressed his "deep respect" for the Chinese people and their history.
GOAL's account of the fallout
According to GOAL, Mbappé's comments led to the collapse of commercial deals with "Dongpeng", "Mengniu" and "Milk Ground", restrictions on the player's content across digital platforms, and the suspension of La Liga broadcasts on Chinese state television since Monday 26 October.
According to GOAL, La Liga apologised for the offence.
According to GOAL, La Liga president Javier Tebas met the Chinese ambassador to Spain, Yao Jing, on Tuesday to seek a solution and protect cooperation agreements from damage.
China Media Group statement
China Media Group said in a statement issued on Wednesday at six o'clock in the evening local time that it had received, through the La Liga association, an official letter of apology from Real Madrid to the Chinese people.
Excerpts of the letter published by China Media Group said: "Our club holds deep respect for China, its history, its culture, and its people".
China Media Group did not say whether it considered the apology sufficient and announced no change to the suspension of La Liga matches, Mbappé's matches, or the advertisements in which he appears.
According to GOAL, the Sports and Youth Centre affiliated with China Media Group said Mbappé's words went beyond what is acceptable and beyond freedom of expression, and warned Real Madrid that the club cannot dodge its responsibility and that "without a satisfactory apology, there is no room for discussion".
