Peng’s story

China Is Trying to Make the Tennis Star Peng

Shuai's #MeToo Allegation Disappear. It's Not
Working

Peng Shuai of China in action against Daria Kasatkina of Russia during women's singles first
round match 2019 China Open on Sept. 28, 2019 in Beijing, China.
Fred Lee/Getty Images
By Chad de Guzman
November 19, 2021 5:01 AM EST

When Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai went public with a bombshell sexual assault
accusation against a retired top official, China’s response was to censor all
discussion of the allegation internally—and dismiss growing international concern
over Peng’s whereabouts and safety.

But China’s attempt to make Peng’s #MeToo allegation disappear—most recently

by releasing an email purportedly from Peng that says she is safe and denies the
initial sexual assault accusation—has only intensified international scrutiny.

The Women’s Tennis Association, which catapulted Peng’s story into the
international spotlight, has doubled down on its demands for an explanation from
China and proof that she is safe. WTA CEO and Chairman Steve Simon told CNN
Thursday that the organization is “willing to pull our business and deal with all the
complications that come with it.” Simon previously touted a $1 billion investment by
China into women’s tennis.

The sport’s biggest names—Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, Novak Djokovic
and Naomi Osaka—have also come out in support of Peng.

Peng’s allegation is believed to be the first of its kind directed at a high-ranking

Chinese government official. The controversy is putting a spotlight on China’s
#MeToo movement and the treatment of sports stars who speak up, just months
before the country opens the 2022 Winter Olympics.Here’s what you need to know
about Peng Shai and her accusations.

Who is Peng Shuai?

A native of the mountainous province of Hunan, Peng, 35, is the first Chinese
tennis player to achieve a top ranking after she became the world’s No. 1 doubles
player in 2014.

She has won 23 tour-level tennis doubles titles. These include Wimbledon in 2013
and the French Open in 2014—both with Taiwanese player Hsieh Su-wei.

Peng also represented China three times in the Olympics, most recently in 2016.

What is Peng alleging?

Former Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli makes a speech during the Philippines - China Trade
and Investment Forum at the Great Hall of the People on October 20, 2016 in Beijing, China.
Wu Hong-Pool/Getty Images

A post that appeared on Peng’s Weibo account—China’s Twitter-like platform—on

Nov. 2, said that retired Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli—once part of the powerful
Politburo Standing Committee, China’s top decision-making body—coerced Peng
into having sex with him. The post said she later had an on-off relationship with
the Chinese official.

The message disappeared about 30 minutes after being posted. However,

screenshots were widely shared on social media platforms outside China, as well as
on private WeChat and iMessage groups in the country, according to Reuters.

The post said Peng’s relationship with Zhang dated back to 2011. But about three
years ago Zhang and his wife invited Peng over for dinner, and he pressured her
into having sex.
After that, their relationship restarted—but Peng reportedly got angry over Zhang’s
insistence on keeping their relationship secret, and had tried to meet him to air her
grievances before she posted on Weibo, according to the message.

Read more: How #MeToo Is Taking on a Life of Its Own in Asia

Peng said she could not provide any evidence to support her allegations. TIME
could not independently verify either the post or its contents.

Did Peng disappear? Is she safe?

After posting the message, Peng made no further public statements and was not
seen publicly, prompting concerns about her safety in a country that has swiftly
silenced even the most famous and powerful public figures—including Alibaba
founder Jack Ma.

On Nov. 18, state-owned broadcaster CGTN released a screenshot of a statement

that was purportedly an email from Peng to Simon. Peng’s message said she was
safe and added that she has just been “staying at home.” The message also said
sexual assault allegations attributed to her were false.

But that has not quelled concerns over her safety. Simon, in a statement, said he
had “a hard time” believing Peng wrote the e-mail.

“Peng Shuai displayed incredible courage in describing an allegation of sexual

assault against a former top official in the Chinese government,” Simon responded.
“The WTA and the rest of the world need independent and verifiable proof that she
is safe.”
Simon earlier told TIME that he failed to personally speak with Peng, and said he
was concerned about her whereabouts.

In his CNN interview Thursday, Simon added that he felt the email was a “staged
statement” since he responded immediately after without receiving a proper reply.
“At this point I don’t think there’s any validity in it and we won’t be comfortable
until we have a chance to speak with her,” he said.

How are Chinese officials handling

the claims?
State-controlled media has largely been silent on Peng’s allegation, and officials
have worked to swiftly censor any conversation about her post. Searching for
Peng’s account on Weibo was blocked and commenting on her account was
suspended.

When a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson was asked about the athlete’s
allegations on Nov. 3, he said he was unaware of the issue. TIME has reached out
to China’s State Council Information Office for comment.

A public allegation against a high-ranking official of such magnitude is virtually

unheard of, but other Chinese women have reported sexual violence committed by
low-ranking party officials, says Leta Hong Fincher, author of Betraying Big
Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China.

“Everybody knows about that kind of culture,” Fincher says. “But this is the first
time we’ve actually had a specific accusation aimed at an extremely senior retired
Communist Party official. Nonetheless, he’s retired, but he was the vice premier.
And it’s very hard to go any higher than that other than the president of China
himself.”

The swift censorship of Peng’s case is a contrast to how China handled other
prominent #MeToo cases this year. When Chinese beauty influencer Du Meizhu
accused Canadian-Chinese pop idol Kris Wu of raping her and other women,
including minors, it became a hot-button topic on Weibo, with state media even
berating the idol.

The response to Wu was in line with a crackdown on celebrity culture, which

observers believe is an attempt to keep youth partial to Communist ideology.

Read more: China’s Tech Crackdown Could Make US Regulation More Likely

How is the global tennis community

reacting?
The WTA has called on the Chinese government to seriously look into the
allegations against Zhang. The men’s tennis governing body (ATP) backed the
probe.

The WTA chair lauded Peng for voicing those allegations “knowing full well” what
the results will be. “For us to not support that and demand justice as we go through
it—you know we have to start, as a world, making decisions based upon right and
wrong,” Simon told CNN.

Other tennis stars expressed concern over Peng’s absence, including former world
No. 1 players Serena Williams, Chris Evert and Billie Jean King. Novak Djokovic,
the current men’s world No. 1 described Peng’s case as “shocking.” Naomi Osaka
decried the censorship of Peng and said she hopes the Chinese player and her
family are safe.

Read more: Steve Simon, WTA CEO, on His Fight to Find Peng Shuai

What does this mean for the future

of Chinese tennis?
Tennis is a big deal in China: more than one-fifth of the world’s 87 million tennis
players come from the country, according to the International Tennis Federation.

It is unclear how calls for Chinese action in Peng’s case will affect tennis in the
country. But China has repeatedly retaliated against criticism, most notably in 2019
when broadcasts of the NBA were halted on Chinese television after then-Houston
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey posted a tweet expressing solidarity with
Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters.

Read more: Why China Has the NBA in a Full-Court Press on Free Speech

At risk could be a 10-year-deal to hold the women’s season finals in Shenzhen,

which are set to resume in 2022 as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes. Chinese
organizers behind the agreement had invested $1 billion as part of the deal.

But the WTA chair said he was more concerned about Peng’s welfare and the
integrity of the sport. “We’re at a crossroads with our relationship, obviously, with
China and operating our business over there,” he told CNN. “It’s something that’s
actually very sad because we have some amazing relationships over there and
developed some unbelievable programs that are really introducing the sport to a lot
of young Chinese players that want to become the next Li Na or the next Peng
Shuai.”

Former Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli makes a speech during the Philippines
- China Trade and Investment Forum at the Great Hall of the People on October
20, 2016 in Beijing, China.

Wu Hong-Pool/Getty Images