On December 19, Chinese media claimed that the Tennis player Peng Shuai denied accusing anyone of sexually assaulting her. In a brief 8-minute interview with Singapore-based Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, Peng said she had been residing at her house in Beijing and claimed there was no restriction on her movement in any way.
Chinese govt mouthpiece’s reporter said Peng was seen in public
On Sunday, before the interview with Lianhe Zaobao got published, Chen Qingqing, a Chinese mouthpiece Global Times reporter, tweeted footage and a few photographs of Peng in which she was seen talking to Yao Ming, a famous Chinese Basketball player. Chen claimed that the video was sent to her by a “friend”. They said the video was allegedly taken during an event in Shanghai.
So happy to see some of these prominent Chinese sports stars, besides Yao Ming and Peng Shuai, also, Olympic sailing champion Xu Lijia and table tennis Wang Liqin, cheer for ice sports ahead of @Beijing2022 pic.twitter.com/3xP5CyrPhX
— Qingqing_Chen (@qingqingparis) December 19, 2021
In the photo that Chen posted, Peng was seen with Yao, Olympic sailing champion Xu Lijia and retired table tennis player Wang Liqin. There was a banner next to them that read, “FIS Cross-Country Skiing China City Tour”, and Shanghai’s Yangpu bridge was in the background.
‘I did not accuse anyone of sexual assault’
Reports suggest that the email she had sent to Steve Simon, President of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), assuring him of her well-being was done “by herself of her own free will”. This was the first time Peng had spoken about the matter herself. Notably, she had made a social media post in November accusing the former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli of sexually assaulting her. Later the post was deleted, and she disappeared.
When she was asked about the allegations she had made in the now-deleted post by the Chinese internet censors within minutes of posting it, she said she never accused anyone of sexually assaulting her. She said, “First, I would like to stress a very important point: I have never said nor written anything accusing anyone of sexually assaulting me. I would like to emphasise this point very clearly. Regarding Weibo, first of all, it’s a matter related to my personal privacy. Everyone has had many misunderstandings. Their misreadings do not stand.”
‘I have always been very free’
During the interview, she was asked if she was under any kind of surveillance, she said, “Why would that be the case? I have always been very free.” The report mentioned that while answering this particular question, she was a bit hesitant.
She said the letter was written by herself in Chinese, but the Chinese mouthpiece CGTN had published a translated version of the letter in English. She said, “What was conveyed (by CGTN) was no different from what I meant to convey to Mr Simon.” She was also asked about the video call she had made to Thomas Bach, head of the International Olympic Committee, last month. She said, “The video call took place at my home in Beijing.” She added that she was grateful to everyone who expressed concerns about her well being.
‘Peng’s appearence has not eased concerns about her’
The Women’s Tennis Association in a recent statement said that Peng Shuai’s latest appearance has not eased concerns about her. In an email statement to AFP, the organization said, “We remain steadfast in our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into her allegation of sexual assault.”
#BREAKING The Women’s Tennis Association says Peng Shuai’s latest appearance has not eased concerns about her, after a video emerged of the Chinese tennis star denying accusing anyone of sexual assault pic.twitter.com/g3vukNKfbp
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) December 20, 2021
Yaqiu Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch, while quoting the Reuter’s report on the interview said, “So, after 48 days, Peng Shuai unexpectedly encountered a journalist from a pro-Beijing newspaper and then casually answered her questions about an event that gandered intense international attention. Wow, so natural, very real, everyone now believes it. Congratulations, the CCP!”
So, after 48 days, Peng Shuai unexpectedly encountered a journalist from a pro-Beijing newspaper and then casually answered her questions about an event that gandered intense international attention. Wow, so natural, very real, everyone now believes it. Congratulations, the CCP! https://t.co/qBgw8Ob3ib
— Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 (@Yaqiu) December 19, 2021
Peng and her disappearance
35-year-old Peng is a Wimbledon and French Open doubles champion. In November, she published a lengthy post on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. In the post, she accused Chinese former premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault. Her post was censored within minutes. Her verified social media account was deactivated as well. However, by then, the post was grabbed the attention of the international media.
Later she disappeared from public view that raised concerns about her well being at the international level. United Nations, the White House, sportsperson and activists came forward and made statements about the disappearance.
After the matter gained international attention, the Chinese state media got into action to prove she did not disappear. Photos and videos found their way to social media networks, including those that are banned in China. Though Peng was seen in a junior tennis event, there were speculations that she was under surveillance as she did not talk to anyone. Photos of her enjoying time at her home were also shared by the Chinese state media.
