China made a request on Tuesday (23) that the case of tennis player Peng Shuai not be “politicized” and “exaggerated”, in an unusual official reaction to the accusations of “forced” sexual intercourse made by the athlete against an ex- leader of the communist regime.
The 35-year-old tennis player, Wimbledon-2013 and Roland Garros-2014 doubles champion, published in early November on the Chinese social network Weibo a long message about her relationship with former Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli, 40 years older old than she.
In the text, in open letter format, Shuai revealed feelings about the former manager, retired since 2018. She particularly accused him of having forced her to have a sexual relationship three years ago.
Until this Tuesday, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had refused to comment on the matter, claiming that it did not concern the diplomatic sphere.
Asked again about the impact of the controversy on China’s image, ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian responded briefly.
“I think some people should stop deliberately and maliciously exaggerating, stop politicizing the issue,” he said.
The spokesman did not explain which people he was referring to in his statements.
Several established tennis players, from Chris Evert to Novak Djokovic, and governments in Western countries have asked Beijing to reveal details about the athlete’s whereabouts and her state of health.
– Skepticism of the WTA –
After her message was censored in early November, the tennis player has not been seen for weeks, which has fueled concern about her plight.
Shuai reappeared last weekend at a Beijing restaurant and at a tennis tournament in the Chinese capital, according to videos published by state media.
On Sunday she spoke via videoconference with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach. She said she was “safe and sound” but would like her private life to be “respected”.
The WTA, which runs the professional women’s tennis circuit, expressed skepticism.
“It was good to see Peng Shuai in videos recently, but it doesn’t alleviate or respond to the WTA’s concern about its well-being and its ability to communicate without censorship or coercion,” the organization said on Monday.
“This video changes nothing in our call for an exhaustive, fair and transparent, uncensored investigation into the sexual assault allegations.”
The WTA is threatening to remove China from the tournament circuit if the country’s authorities fail to investigate the tennis player’s allegations.
Perplexed after Thomas Bach’s videoconference with Peng Shuai, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the IOC of “active collaboration” with Beijing.
“The IOC seems to give more importance to its relationship with a country that violates human rights than to the rights and safety of Olympic athletes,” the organization said in a statement.
In his message, Peng Shuai also cited his feelings about Zhang Gaoli, his “complementary personalities,” his ping-pong or pool games.
But she also criticized him for having led her into a toxic relationship, with an uncomfortable relationship with his wife and a hidden history from the people, since the private life of political leaders is taboo in China.
Both were lovers until a dispute a few days before the complaint, according to the tennis player’s words.
Zhang Gaoli, 75, was until early 2018 a member of the standing committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party, and for that reason one of the seven officially most powerful men in the country.
Most Chinese are not aware of the case, which is censored in the country’s press and social media.
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