Peng, 35, has not been heard from since she accused former Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli of sexual abuse on Chinese social media outlet Weibo earlier this month.
Meanwhile, it is not only the tennis world that is increasing the pressure on the Chinese authorities to show that Peng is safe. On Friday, the White House called for evidence, while the United Nations also called for an independent investigation into Peng’s allegations. “We are deeply concerned about reports that Peng Shuai has been found to be untraceable after accusing a former top official of sexual assault,” White House spokesman Jen Psaki said.
Neither Zhang nor the Chinese government has commented on her accusation, which was removed shortly after publication. “For the past few days she has voluntarily stayed at home and did not want to be disturbed. She will soon appear in public again to participate in some activities,” said Hu, whose newspaper is closely associated with China’s communist party. He said the photos, which were posted on Twitter by a journalist associated with China’s state media to prove she would be home, depicted her “current state”.
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