Chinese ambassador to Spain Yao Jing revealed on Friday that his government is in contact with LaLiga, Real Madrid and other Spanish institutions and associations to address the "unfortunate incident" caused by Kylian Mbappé's comments. However, he asked for more "time to digest" the remarks, which have caused considerable hurt in China.

"There are no negotiations, but there is communication, based on mutual understanding," the diplomat told EFE ahead of his participation in the Salamanca Forum at the University of Salamanca. He was responding to questions about whether discussions were underway to resolve the crisis that has resulted in Real Madrid disappearing from Spanish football broadcasts in China.

The situation remains unchanged despite apologies from both the club and Mbappé. The controversy began when the French forward said that one of his favourite memes featured his face superimposed on that of a "Chinese dictator". Although he did not explicitly mention Mao Zedong, the Chinese leader's image appeared in the montage.

"This unfortunate accident has hurt the feelings of many people in China, who have to come to terms with the current situation," Yao Jing said. He added that he was confident the matter would eventually be resolved through "interactions based on mutual respect."

Mbappé's comments triggered commercial repercussions and prompted Chinese state broadcaster CCTV to suspend LaLiga coverage last week. Real Madrid subsequently issued an apology, which CCTV confirmed it had received. The Chinese ambassador in Spain also received the club's apology on Thursday, although no date has been announced for the return of the broadcasts.

"There is not enough time, the Chinese people need time to digest this, it is not an easy issue for the Chinese people, and it is a club that has had many followers and much love in China," said Xie Tianyu, an attaché at the Chinese embassy in Spain who is accompanying the ambassador during his visit to Salamanca.

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