The pattern leaves users able to condemn Mbappé without knowing why, while the original portrayal of Mao is not highlighted. The framing presented is that a Western figure disrespected China and that China is defending itself.
ByteDance’s Dola chatbot, offered to users outside China instead of Doubao, did report Mbappé’s exact statement and noted that he did not mention a name. Most Chinese outlets still chose not to translate or repeat it.
They added that, according to archives, Mbappé as a footballer mostly speaks about matches, his career and private life and does not comment on such political topics. They recommended caution over unverified information.
When testers used a French IP address and asked DeepSeek in French what Mbappé had said, the model still did not quote him. The same question in Chinese from France produced similarly vague replies. “That makes me laugh the most, it’s the one where there’s a video of a guy, I think it’s a Chinese dictator,” Mbappé said, according to reporting that quoted the clip.
Neither Chinese media nor the domestic platforms translated or published the exact wording, making it impossible to confirm from public channels inside the country what he said. DeepSeek said the exact content that sparked the controversy was not directly or completely divulged. Doubao said there was no publicly available, trustworthy information confirming the statement.
The footballer later published an apology that Chinese diplomats said they were taking seriously.