An editor-in-chief of a Communist Party newspaper said Ping would “be seen in public” soon.
A state TV employee also posted pictures of Ping on the Internet, which appeared Friday on Twitter, which is not accessible to most Internet users in China.
State TV employee Shen Xue wrote that the pictures were on Bing’s account on the messaging service WeChat, followed by the comment, “Happy weekend.”
Chen works for CGTN, an outbound English-language channel of China Central Television.
The ruling Communist Party is facing mounting calls from tennis stars and the professional league to prove that Ping, a three-time Olympic and former number one in the women’s doubles, is safe and to be allowed to speak freely.
The controversy is politically embarrassing, as the Chinese capital prepares to host the Winter Olympics in February.
On Friday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman denied knowledge of the outrage over Ping’s disappearance.
The 35-year-old has not appeared in public since she posted a statement on social media this month accusing Zhang Gaoli, a former member of the Party’s Standing Committee, the inner circle controlling power, of forcing her to have sex despite her repeated refusal.
The developments come after CGTN this week distributed a statement it said came from Ping, retracting the accusations against Zhang.
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