Recent images, whose authenticity cannot be verified, show Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai days after her long disappearance. Observers indicate that the downplaying of the disappearance of the Olympic star, who accused a former high-ranking official of sexual assault, suggests Beijing is trying to prevent any threat to its rule, according to "Voice of America."
Shuai, 35 years old, accused former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, who was among the seven most influential politicians in the country from 2013 to 2018, of coercing her into a sexual relationship. According to Agence France-Presse, four photos of the player were posted on Friday evening through the account @shen_shiwei on Twitter, which is classified as "a state-linked medium in China."
The first image shows the player smiling while holding a cat in what appears to be her home, with plush toys, a sports trophy, and the Chinese flag in the background. The second image is a selfie with a small statue from the children’s movie "Kung Fu Panda," with a framed picture of Winnie the Pooh visible in the background. The Twitter account that published the photos stated the player herself shared these images on social media to wish her followers a "happy weekend."
Agence France-Presse could not verify the authenticity of the images and did not receive a response from the Twitter account that published them. Twitter is inaccessible in China unless users have special software like a VPN. However, many Chinese diplomats and official media have opened Twitter accounts in recent years to fiercely defend Chinese perspectives.
Before her disappearance, Shuai published a post on her official Weibo account stating that Zhang Gaoli, who became a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau, China’s highest decision-making body, coerced her into sex and that they later entered into "a consensual relationship." The post was deleted approximately half an hour after it was published, although searches for Peng’s name on the censored internet in China surged following the post, and screenshots were shared in private groups on WeChat and via iMessage, according to Reuters.
The internet in China is heavily censored, and the private lives of high-ranking leaders are considered a particularly "sensitive topic." Since then, the player has not been in direct contact with anyone and has not appeared at any public events. The United Nations called on China on Friday to provide evidence of tennis star Peng Shuai's whereabouts and safety after she went missing following allegations of sexual assault against a high-ranking Communist Party official. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesperson Liz Throssell told reporters in Geneva, "It is important to obtain proof of her whereabouts and safety." She added, "we call for a fully transparent investigation into her allegations of sexual assault," emphasizing that "sexual assaults happen in all societies."
"Find Beijing"
The Chinese communist government rarely tolerates negative comments about officials. In this regard, Alexander Vuving, a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii, states, "We can link the threads (in the case of Shuai's disappearance) to show that Beijing is behind it; it is in the hands of the Communist Party." Similarly, Huang Kuibo, an assistant professor of diplomacy at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, says, "I believe the underlying idea behind this kind of issue is that the ruling system considers itself more important than the individual and their freedoms, and thus it's essential to maintain its stability." He added, "According to that approach, it does no harm to have some personal ideas, as long as they do not affect the control of the Communist Party and the stability of its governing system."
For her part, Lu Bin, the founder of the "Feminist Voices" website, which is the largest online media outlet addressing women's issues, believes that Peng's experience of being assaulted has encouraged many people to pay attention to the feminist movement as it will confront those in power. She stated, "I see people concerned about Peng's disappearance, and I think it's hard to say her courage has given enough incentive to others, but in my opinion, it is significant in pushing the #MeToo movement forward in China."
