Author: Mori Jinjian
Associated Press
Beijing (Associated Press)-The Chinese authorities have suppressed almost all online discussions about a Chinese professional tennis star’s apparent sexual assault allegations against a senior government official, which shows how sensitive the ruling Communist Party is to such allegations.
In a long social media post that quickly disappeared, Peng Shuai wrote that despite playing a round of tennis three years ago, Zhang Gaoli, the former deputy prime minister and member of the Politburo Standing Committee, forced her to have sex, but she repeatedly refused. Her post also stated that they had a one-time relationship seven years ago, after which she developed feelings for him.
Peng is a former top doubles player in the world and has won 23 tournament doubles titles, including the 2013 Wimbledon Grand Slam and the 2014 French Open.
The Associated Press was unable to verify the authenticity of her post on November 2 by her verified account on Weibo, China’s leading social media platform. The post was quickly deleted, and now there is no result when searching Peng’s account on Weibo.
The reporter could not reach her and Zhang for comment.
This is the first accusation against a well-known government official since the (hash) MeToo movement took root in China in 2018, and was subsequently suppressed on a large scale by the authorities in the same year. Earlier allegations were limited to the media, advocacy groups and academia.
The Communist Party’s response showed that it was determined to control public discourse and suppress social movements that it was unable to control with certainty. Although social media is ubiquitous in China, it is still firmly under the control of the party.
A screenshot of the post was circulated on China’s blocked Twitter, reinvigorating discussions on China’s gender relations on the platform, where men dominate the top political and business leaders.
In the post, 35-year-old Peng wrote that Zhang, now 75, and his wife arranged to play tennis in Beijing about three years ago, and then he took her to the room in his home where he was sexually assaulted.
“I was very scared that afternoon and never thought it would happen,” the post said.
Starting with Mao Zedong, the founder of the People’s Republic of China, rumors and overseas reports about young women and leading officials have long been the main content of Chinese politics.
Lawsuits against current and former officials of the Chinese Communist Party’s leaders and President Xi Jinping’s decade-long anti-corruption campaign are also often characterized by “letholic lifestyles” and bribery and abuse of power.
Zhang retired in 2018 and has basically disappeared from public life, as usual for former Chinese officials.
Since the Qatar Open in February 2020, Peng has not participated in the top tournaments. In terms of singles, she reached the semifinals of the 2014 US Open and the subsequent top 16 of the Australian Open, but in any major since the 2017 Wimbledon.
The Communist Party has increasingly cracked down on civil society, including the (hash) MeToo movement that has been struggling to gain traction in the country.
Zhou Xiaoxuan, an intern at China National Broadcasting Corporation CCTV, was pushed by bystanders in September for filing a lawsuit with a well-known host.
Since then, the movement has been largely shut down by the authorities as activists discovered that their online posts were censored and faced pressure from the authorities when they tried to stage protests.
