Mbappé and Hello Kitty Both Apologize to China—Apparently No One Can Defy a Market That Large

I was watching CNN today when a story left a bad taste in my mouth.

Kylian Mbappé, a world-famous footballer, and Hello Kitty, one of Japan’s most celebrated characters, would seem to have nothing in common. Yet both were in the news because of controversies involving China.

Mbappé reportedly drew criticism over remarks concerning an online image related to Mao Zedong, while Sanrio faced a backlash from China over a collaboration with the television drama VIVANT.

A superstar of world football and a cat character loved around the globe.

What they share is the fact that neither can ignore the Chinese market.

Why I Dislike China

This kind of behavior from the Chinese government is exactly why I dislike it.

If someone says something it does not like, it protests. If a company fears a backlash from China, the result may be an apology or the cancellation of a project.

Moreover, China is an enormous market.

For a company, losing the ability to do business in China can be extremely costly. If sponsorship agreements and product sales are at risk, executives cannot easily afford to take a hard line.

What happens next is entirely predictable.

What matters is not whether the other side is right, but how much money you will lose by making it angry.

Even freedom of speech tends to look weak beside a profit-and-loss statement.

I Am Not Prepared to Take CNN’s Reporting at Face Value Either

CNN, the American network reporting on these issues, naturally has biases of its own.

In an era of confrontation between the United States and China, we should consider the political context in which an American news organization portrays problems involving China.

I dislike the Chinese government, but that does not mean I love the United States enough to believe American reporting unconditionally.

The United States has also used its economic power and access to its market to pressure other countries and companies.

If we criticize China for doing this, we should also criticize the United States when it does the same thing.

The name of the country is not the real issue.

The real issue is the structure itself: what enormous economic power makes companies and individuals say, and what it prevents them from saying.

That said, China has been quick to apply this kind of pressure, whereas before Trump, the United States at least officially did not rely on the tactic so readily.

These days, however, China and the United States are as bad as each other.

The Chinese Market as a Giant Loyalty Test

For companies that depend on the Chinese market, any subject involving China has become a minefield.

The risk is not limited to political statements. A joke, an advertisement, character merchandise, or even a collaboration with a television drama may cause a problem.

Companies therefore cannot simply wait for criticism and respond after the fact.

They avoid projects that look risky from the beginning. They remove expressions that China might dislike. They stay away from statements that could cause trouble.

Even without an explicit ban, companies begin silencing themselves.

I believe this is the most troubling part.

The desire not to lose a market is understandable as a business decision. But when enough companies make that decision, political restrictions inside China begin to influence corporate activity and expression outside the country as well.

From the Chinese government’s perspective, there is no need to issue commands to every company in the world.

The companies will anticipate its wishes for it.

I Have No Chinese Market to Lose

Of course, I have my own reasons for writing so boldly.

I do not do business in the Chinese market. Nor do I receive sponsorship money from Chinese companies.

No matter what anyone in China says about me, I have no sales to lose.

That is why I can criticize China as freely as I please.

Would I say the same things if I were the executive of a company earning vast sums in China?

I am not entirely sure.

If my employees’ salaries and my company’s survival were at stake, I might also avoid saying anything unnecessary.

That is precisely why I dislike this system.

Whether someone values freedom of speech ends up depending not on personal conviction, but on how dependent they are on the Chinese market.

Global stars and major corporations alike bow their heads for the sake of business.

In that respect, an unknown individual like me has it easy.

Even if China dislikes me, I have nothing to lose.

Apparently, I am freer than a global superstar.

Of course, if someone offered me tens of thousands of dollars a month, I could become an ardent fan of China starting tomorrow. Unfortunately, no such offer has arrived.