Calls for investigation into 'missing' former Wimbledon champion who accused Chinese official of sexual abuse 6park.com
 6park.com
 6park.com
Simon Briggs 6park.com
Sun, November 14, 2021, 2:24 PM 6park.com
 6park.com
 6park.com
China's Peng Shuai reacts after a point against Canada's Eugenie Bouchard during their women's singles match on day two of the Australian Open in 2021 - AFP
The Women’s Tennis Association has called for a “full, fair and transparent investigation” into the case of Peng Shuai, the former top-20 player who disappeared after making sexual assault allegations against a retired Chinese Communist Party official. 6park.com
 6park.com
Peng has not been seen or heard from for the past week. On Nov 2, she posted a message on the social network Weibo accusing Zhang Gaoli, formerly a vice-premier in Beijing, of having sex with her against her will.
In the WTA statement, its chief executive, Steve Simon, also called for China to “end censorship against Peng”. The player’s entire social-media presence has disappeared from Weibo (the Chinese-language equivalent of Twitter), while “wangqiu”, Chinese for tennis, was also censored on the same network.
By making this stand, the WTA is endangering a relationship that contributes a large percentage of its income. There were nine women’s events in China in 2019 before Covid-19 intervened. One possibility might be that Peng is being held under house arrest in Tianjin, the port city where she lives, as a punishment for challenging the regime. If so, there is a chance that pressure from the international community could help her. 6park.com
The original post on Weibo was only visible on the network for around 20 minutes on Nov 2, but that was long enough to make a significant impact. It was described at the time as the most serious “Me Too” issue to have emerged in China to date, being the first to involve a high-ranking CCP official.
Peng, 35, is a former world doubles No 1 who won the ladies’ doubles at Wimbledon in 2013 and reached the semi-finals of the US Open as a singles player the following year. After Li Na, the two-time major champion, she is probably the best known tennis player in China, although she has not played in an elite event since March 2020.
Zhang, 75, used to be one of seven men on the standing committee of the CCP Politburo – the body at the epicentre of the Chinese government. He was also China’s senior vice-premier from 2013 until his retirement in 2018.
In her Weibo message, Peng claimed to have had a 10-year on-off relationship with Zhang, who is married. She alleged that the relationship had involved sexual contact on several occasions, but that one of those sexual encounters had not been consensual.
“That afternoon, I was very afraid. I didn’t expect it to be like this,” she wrote. “I didn’t agree to have sex with you and kept crying that afternoon.”
According to Peng’s account, she originally became entangled with Zhang in 2011, but then did not see him once he had been promoted to his senior role within the Politburo. It was only after he retired that he invited her to dinner with his wife in 2018 and then pressurised her into having sex, she alleged.
In her Weibo post, she said that she could offer no evidence to support her claims because Zhang had insisted on their relationship being secret. “You’ve said you are not afraid,” she wrote. “But even as an egg hurled at a rock, a moth to a flame for self-destruction, I will speak the truth with you.”
In the WTA statement, Simon said: “Peng Shuai, and all women, deserve to be heard, not censored. Her accusation about the conduct of a former Chinese leader involving a sexual assault must be treated with the utmost seriousness.
“In all societies, the behaviour she alleges that took place needs to be investigated, not condoned or ignored. We commend Peng Shuai for her remarkable courage and strength in coming forward.
“Our absolute and unwavering priority is the health and safety of our players. We are speaking out so justice can be done.”
When asked about the accusations earlier this month, a spokesman for Beijing’s foreign ministry said: “I have not heard of it and it is not a diplomatic question.” 6park.com