Peng Shuai’s disappearance: China says case in ‘maliciously hyped’

Peng Shuai’s disappearance: China says case in ‘maliciously hyped’

Peng Shuai

Tennis world has been abuzz with news about Peng Shuai’s disappearance for nearly a month. The 35 year-old Chinese player, who was former world no. 1 in doubles and won two grand slam titles, accused a top Chinese official of sexual harassment. She posted a detailed post on China’s social networking site Weibo. The post was promptly taken down, but not before it went viral in the western world. Shuai was not visible in public since the 2nd of November, which resulted in full-blown public support of the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai.

Peng Shuai accused Zhang Gaoli, a former vice-premier and member of the Communist party’s Politburo Standing Committee of repeated sexual abuse. Given China’s strict control over social media, Shuai’s post also disappeared. But it only added fuel to fire, prompting many big names in tennis, including organizations like ATP and WTA questioning the Chinese authorities. Things did not cool down even after the Chinese government released pictures and videos of Shuai attending a tennis event. The video call organised between the player and IOC’S president Thomas Bach was also accused of being a ‘staged media exercise’ that was done in order to pacify the onslaught of protests against the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics.

While Zhang Gaoli has still not responded to the allegations, the Chinese government has finally put its foot down, and commented on the matter.

“It is not a diplomatic matter” – Chinese Foreign Ministry

IOC president Thomas Bach on a video call with Peng Shuai

Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the country’s Foreign Ministry has spoken to the media over the matter. He said “This is not a diplomatic matter. I believe everyone will have seen she has recently attended some public activities and also held a video call with the IOC president, [Thomas] Bach. I hope certain people will cease malicious hyping, let alone politicisation.”

China in an ideological struggle with the West – Global Times

Peng Shuai
Peng Shuai in a video provided by China

While the Chinese government wants protestors to back off because they have provided pictures and videos of Peng Shuai, what they don’t realise is that proof-of-life is not enough. Being physically unharmed does not equate with being safe. This has been termed as an ideological difference between the Chinese mindset and the western world by the Global Times. An excerpt from an editorial published by them read “The ideological conflicts between China and the west will escalate before the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 as anti-Chinese forces will converge to make trouble for China”.

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