China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs publicly rebuked Kylian Mbappe on Tuesday, when spokesman Guo Jiakun was asked at a regular briefing in Beijing about the Real Madrid forward’s Mao Zedong comment on an online talk show.

“Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society,” Guo told the briefing, according to Reuters.

The intervention lifts what began as a brand-sponsorship problem into formal state territory, and it came within hours of two of Mbappe’s biggest Chinese partners walking away from him.

The viral clip was taken from the French online talk show “The Bridge”. Asked which meme of himself he found funniest, Mbappe singled out a photoshopped image of his face placed over that of “some guy, I think he’s a Chinese dictator”, Mao Zedong, revered in China as the founder of the People’s Republic. The clip spread on Chinese platforms late Monday night Beijing time and dominated Weibo by Tuesday morning.

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Dongpeng and Mengniu cut ties within hours

Energy drink maker Dongpeng was the first major sponsor to move. In a statement reported by AFP, the company said it was terminating its deal with Mbappe with immediate effect and had a “zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments”.

Dairy giant Mengniu followed within hours, saying it was ending all cooperation with the player and that it “firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people”.

The hashtag “Dongpeng Beverage ends cooperation with Mbappe” became the top trending topic on Weibo on Tuesday morning. State broadcaster CCTV also suspended its La Liga broadcasts, cutting Real Madrid and the rest of the Spanish top flight off from one of their largest overseas audiences.

The player and the club have stayed silent

Neither Mbappe nor Real Madrid had publicly addressed the controversy by Tuesday evening Beijing time. Mbappe’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment, and The Bridge, where the comment was made, had also not spoken on the record.

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AFP Fact Check said it had not been able to independently verify the authenticity of the circulating clip. The Dongpeng and Mengniu terminations remained in force on Tuesday night, and no other named Chinese sponsor had publicly reversed its position.

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