Disappearance of Peng Shuai
Tennis star Peng Shuai disappeared after reportedly having accused retired Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault.
On 2 November 2021, Peng posted on Weibo that she had been involved in an extramarital affair with Zhang, who had pressed her to have sex with him three years earlier, and that their relationship had recently come to an end.
[2][3] Afterwards, Peng disappeared from public view, showing up only in state media, by e-mail, or for interviews, and has denied making accusations of sexual assault.
[8] The incident rekindled their affair and Peng wrote that they would at times talk for hours, play chess and tennis, and "getting along so well that everything just felt right".
According to Shannon Tiezzie of The Diplomat, unhappiness with the hidden nature of the relationship and repeated slights apparently caused Peng to post her story.
[15] While Chinese authorities have charged officials in the past with sexual misconduct under corruption, this was the first time a member of the top echelon of the CCP has faced public allegations.
[13] Peng's post drew attention to the #MeToo movement in China, which in 2021 saw the arrest of Kris Wu and the firing of a male Alibaba executive after widespread discussions online and criticism from state media.
[17][8] On November 2, 2021, Chinese tennis player, Peng Shuai, wrote in a social media post that politician Zhang Gaoli had sexually assaulted her three years previously.
[9] Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the CCP-owned tabloid Global Times tweeted, "As a person who is familiar with Chinese system, I don't believe Peng Shuai has received retaliation and repression speculated by foreign media for the thing people talked about".
[24] On 14 November, WTA chief executive Steve Simon called on Chinese authorities to investigate Peng's allegations and stop censoring the subject.
On 15 November, tennis player Novak Djokovic expressed his shock at Peng's disappearance in comments to reporters after winning his ATP Finals opener.
On 16 November, tennis player Naomi Osaka posted a message on Twitter demanding answers about Peng's whereabouts and her sexual allegation.
Tennis players Serena Williams, Andy Murray, and Billie Jean King expressed their concerns as well about Peng's alleged disappearance.
[39] In response to the t-shirt controversy, a Chinese spokesman said, "The politicisation of sports will not succeed and will not gain support from the majority of people, including sportsmen and women, in the international community.
[50] In contrast to the IOC's quiet diplomacy, Tony Estanguet, the president of the 2024 Summer Olympics, has called for the "greatest transparency" regarding the health and safety of Peng.
[52] On 19 November, the spokesperson of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Liz Throssell called on China to provide proof of her whereabouts and wellbeing, and urged for an investigation with full transparency into her sexual assault allegations.
According to Maria Repnikova, director of the Center for Global Information Studies at Georgia State University, they appear to be deploying the "familiar tactic of bypassing critiques or questions by underscoring western hypocrisy".
[59] On 21 November, the IOC said Peng had spoken to Thomas Bach, Emma Terho and Li Lingwei in a video call and said she "is safe and well, living at her home in Beijing, but would like to have her privacy respected at this time."
Elaine Pearson, the Australia director of Human Rights Watch, said "Frankly, it is shameful to see the IOC participating in this Chinese government's charade that everything is fine and normal for Peng Shuai.
"[64] Maya Wang, senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said "What we have here is essentially a state-controlled narrative: only the government and its affiliated media are generating and distributing the content about Peng's story.
"[33] In The Strategist published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, OSINT journalist Tom Jarvis writes that despite "unanswered questions about Peng's situation", events "may have been staged to ease international pressure on the China Open and the government".
[65] On 30 November, a European Union spokesman said "the EU joins growing international demands, including by sport professionals, for assurances that she is free and not under threat.
In this spirit, the EU requests that the Chinese government provide verifiable proof of Peng Shuai's safety, well-being and whereabouts".
[66][67] On December 1, 2021, Dick Pound, a longtime member of the International Olympic Committee, stated that the unanimous conclusion by the people who have been on a call with Peng Shuai is that she is fine.
"[75] On 19 December, Singaporean Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao published a six-minute video of its interview with Peng and provided subtitles in English.
There [should be] no distorted interpretation", adding that the state media translation of her November email to Simon denying allegations of sexual assault was accurate.
[81][76][80][82] In response to the video, the WTA released a statement saying "We remain steadfast in our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into her allegation of sexual assault.
"[83] An anonymous China watcher said in the Asia Sentinel that the Chinese government or the CCP was behind the interview and that Zhang would face punishment after the Winter Olympics.
Peng announced her retirement from competitive tennis and said there had been "a huge misunderstanding" surrounding her accusation of Zhang, her disappearance from the Chinese internet, and her well-being, reiterating "I never said anyone sexually assaulted me".
The Guardian wrote that WTA had "returned at the first opportunity" when they knew China was allowing tennis tours to commence in 2023 and "power of money has won out again".
