Fears for Peng after assault allegation against former politician

The Women’s Tennis Association has called for a “full, fair and transparent investigation” into the case of Peng Shuai, the former doubles champion who has disappeared after making sexual assault allegations against a retired Chinese Communist Party official.

Peng, a two-time grand slam doubles champion, has not been seen or heard of for the past week. On November 2, she posted a message on the social media network Weibo accusing Zhang Gaoli, a former vice-premier in Beijing, of having sex with her against her will.

Shuai Peng has disappeared since making sexual assault allegations against a former top government official in China.Credit: AP

In the WTA statement, chief executive Steve Simon called for China to “end censorship against Peng”. Peng’s social-media presence has disappeared from Weibo (the Chinese-language equivalent of Twitter). The word “wangqiu”, Chinese for tennis, was also censored on the network.

By making a stand, the WTA is endangering a relationship that contributes a large percentage of its income. There were nine women’s events in China in 2019 before COVID-19 intervened.

One possibility is that Peng is under house arrest in Tianjin, the port city where she lives, as a punishment for challenging the regime. If so, there is a chance that pressure from the international community could help her.

The original post on Weibo was visible only for about 20 minutes, but it was long enough to make a big impact. It was described at the time as the most serious “Me Too” issue to have emerged in China to date, and the first to involve a high-ranking CCP official.

China’s former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2017.Credit: AP

Peng, 35, won the women’s doubles at Wimbledon in 2013 and at the French Open in 2014. She also reached the semi-finals of the US Open as a singles player in 2014. After Li Na, she is probably the best-known tennis player in China, although she has not played in an elite match since March 2020.

Zhang, 75, used to be one of seven men on the CCP’s Politburo Standing Committee - the body at the centre of the Chinese government. He was also China’s senior vice-premier from 2013 until his retirement in 2018.

In her Weibo message, Peng claimed to have had a 10-year on-and-off relationship with Gaoli, who is married. She alleged the relationship involved sexual contact on several occasions, but that one of those sexual encounters had not been consensual.

“That afternoon, I was very afraid. I didn’t expect it to be like this,” she wrote. “I didn’t agree to have sex with you and kept crying that afternoon.”

According to Peng’s account, she originally became entangled with Gaoli in 2011, but did not see him once he had been promoted to his senior role within the Politburo. It was only after he retired that he invited her to dinner with his wife in 2018 and then pressured her into having sex, she alleged.

In her Weibo post, she said she could offer no evidence to support her claims because Gaoli had insisted on their relationship being secret. “You’ve said you are not afraid,” she wrote. “But even as an egg hurled at a rock, a moth to a flame for self-destruction, I will speak the truth with you.”

In the WTA statement, Simon said: “Peng Shuai, and all women, deserve to be heard, not censored. Her accusation about the conduct of a former Chinese leader involving a sexual assault must be treated with the utmost seriousness.

“In all societies, the behaviour she alleges that took place needs to be investigated, not condoned or ignored. We commend Peng Shuai for her remarkable courage and strength in coming forward.

“Our absolute and unwavering priority is the health and safety of our players. We are speaking out so justice can be done.”

The New York Times reported that Simon said that no one associated with the WTA Tour had been able to reach Peng directly to confirm her status.

But he told the Times: “We’ve received confirmation from several sources, including the Chinese Tennis Association, that she is safe and not under any physical threat.”

When asked about the accusations earlier this month, a spokesman for Beijing’s foreign ministry said: “I have not heard of it and it is not a diplomatic question.”

Telegraph, London

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