The disappearance of the professional female tennis player galvanises sporting elite

Tennis legend Peng Shuai went missing this month after criticizing a second Chinese prime minister for sexual misconduct. Two weeks later he was not found as leading in the game contacted #MeToo freedom fighters and activists to find him.

In early November, a 35-year-old athlete posted on television that Zhang Gaoli had once beaten him in Tianjin, a city in which he had joined the Chinese Communist Party from 2007 to 2012.

He also said in letters deleted by readers a few minutes after it was published that he had been in a long-term relationship with a powerful politician, who is 40 years older and married. The Financial Times could not confirm Peng’s comments.

The case raises perplexing questions about China’s Communist Party’s history of women’s rights and human rights within three months. Winter Olympics.

It is not uncommon for a punitive party to criticize senior officials for their blatant sexual misconduct, often for the sake of corruption. But the detailed allegations of Zhang, who retired without tarnishing his reputation in 2018, have never happened in China, especially from a woman known as Peng.

“This is a strange story,” said Yaqiu Wang, a Chinese specialist with Human Rights Watch, a US-based campaign group.

Although Peng has not been seen or heard since he wrote, his disappearance has become known around the world. His case came to light this week after a Chinese journalist CGTN issued a statement quoting Peng saying he was resting at home, and that he was not missing or ill.

The remarks have raised doubts in the minds of many who say that they are either fake or coercive. “No one believes he is OK now,” said Yun Jiang, a Chinese specialist at Australian National University.

A few hours later, Steve Simon, head of the Women’s Tennis Association, said he had not been able to contact Peng and asked to be allowed to speak freely.

Simon questioned the authenticity of the email and requested that his statement be “investigated in a transparent and unambiguous manner”. The WTA hosts 11 festivals in China, home to a quarter of 87m tennis players worldwide.

The Information Officer of the Council, which oversees the press relations of the state, did not respond to a request for comment. Zhang and Peng were not reached for comment.

On Friday, Hu Xijin, editor of China Global Times, wrote on Twitter: “As a Chinese diplomat, I do not believe that Peng Shuai retaliated against the foreign media outlets for what was happening.” ”

Peng is one of the few Chinese football players to have come to the world in the last two decades, winning two titles at Wimbledon and the French Open.

Naomi Osaka, four-time Grand Slam champion and world champion Novak Djokovic, number one in the men’s race, Serena Williams, the winner of the Grand Slam, and Chris Evert, the broadcaster and former number one. player, this week connected to phones promoting Peng security.

“I think the WTA. . . Choose life over money. . . Human Rights, Human dignity comes first. . . I pray for Peng, “Evert wrote on Twitter.

I am disappointed and surprised to hear about my friend, Peng Shuai. I hope he is OK and will be available soon. This should be checked and we should not be silent. To send love to him and his family during this difficult time. #whereispengshuai pic.twitter.com/GZG3zLTSC6

– Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) November 18, 2021

Wang, of Human Rights Watch, said that although he “had no hope” about Peng’s future because of China’s history of forced evictions and compulsory disclosure, he believed the donation could help Peng.

“International attention has made the Communist party more cautious about what it wants to do with Peng Shuai,” he said.

However, this section has already demonstrated the tremendous power of Chinese readers by removing anti-social symbols.

After Peng posted the allegations on his official Weibo account, his posts and comments were quickly shut down even though his photos were widely circulated. Censors then blocked Peng and Zhang’s claims.

People who tried to respond to Peng or Zhang online received messages that their posts were “violating the rules and regulations”.

Zhang joined China’s most powerful Communist Party, the Politburo Representative Committee, in 2012. He was elected Deputy Prime Minister the following year.

Peng’s case is a recent sign that the #MeToo anti-apartheid and anti-violence group has not done as much in China as it did in the US and Europe, where similar cases have been filed. completed work many celebrities, businessmen and politicians.

Men less powerful than Zhang are always able to challenge such cases in China, often with the help of government officials and court-controlled courts.

In September, a Beijing court ruled in favor of serious sexual offenses in which Zhou Xiaoxuan, a photographer, filed a lawsuit against a well-known television personality. In one of the group’s biggest cases, the court said there was not enough evidence to prove it.

A Chinese women’s rights activist, who asked not to be named, said he hoped Peng would eventually be forced to return to the fold and be “buried” forever.

He also said that while it may be possible for women to sue in public for celebrities or businesses, party officials have no limits.

Yun, of Australian National University, said Peng showed “courage and bravery” in response to his remarks. “Fighting is great [party] Adults can ruin anyone’s life. ”

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