Chinese media claims tennis player Peng Shuai has denied allegations of sexual violence

December 19, Chinese media claimed that tennis player Peng Shuai denied accusing anyone of his sexual exploitation. In a short 8 minutes to interview With Lianhe Zaobao, a Chinese-language newspaper based in Singapore, Peng said he lived in his house in Beijing and claimed that his movement was not restricted in any way.

The Chinese government’s mouthpiece reporter said Peng was seen in public

On Sunday, before Lianhe Zaobao’s interview was released, Chinese Global Times reporter Chen Qingqing tweeted the material and a few photos of Peng seen seeing him talking to famous Chinese basketball player Yao Ming. Chen claimed the video was sent to him by a “friend.” They said the video was filmed during an event in Shanghai.

I am so glad to see that some of these major Chinese sports stars, in addition to Yao Ming and Peng Shua, also Olympic sailing champion Xu Lijia and table tennis Wang Liqin, are encouraging ice sports. @ Peking2022 pic.twitter.com/3xP5CyrPhX

– Qingqing_Chen (@qingqingparis) December 19, 2021

The photo, published by Chen, saw Peng with Yao, Olympic sailing champion Xu Lijia, and retired table tennis player Wang Liqin. Next to them was a banner that read “FIS Cross Country Skiing China City Tour,” and Shanghai’s Yangpu Bridge was in the background.

“I didn’t accuse anyone of sexual abuse”

Reports suggest that an email she had sent to Steve Simon, president of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), assuring her of her well-being had been written “of her own free will”. This was the first time Peng himself had spoken about the matter. In particular, he had published a post on social media in November accusing former Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaol of his sexual exploitation. The message was later deleted and he disappeared.

When Chinese internet sensors asked him about the allegations he had made in the now-deleted message a few minutes after it was published, he said he never accused anyone of sexual abuse. He said: “First of all, I would like to emphasize a very important point: I have never said or written anything that would accuse anyone of sexual abuse. I want to emphasize this very clearly. As for Weibo, it is above all a matter of my privacy. Everyone has had many misunderstandings. Their misunderstandings cannot last. “

“I’ve always been very free”

During the interview, he was asked if he was under any supervision, he said, “Why would that be? I’ve always been very free.” The report mentioned that when he answered this question, he was a little hesitant.

He said the letter was himself written in Chinese, but the Chinese mouthpiece CGTN had published a translated version of the letter in English. He said, “What you cared about (CGTN) was no different from what I meant to convey to Mr. Simon.” He was also asked about a video call he made to Thomas Bach, director of the International Olympic Committee, last month. He said: “The video call was made at my home in Beijing.” He added that he was grateful to everyone who expressed concern for his well-being.

“Peng’s performance has not diminished his concern”

The Women’s Tennis Association said in a recent statement that Peng Shua’s latest appearance has not eased her concerns. In an e-mail statement sent to AFP said“We firmly uphold his demand for a full, fair and open investigation without censorship of his allegations of sexual violence.”

#BREAKING The Women’s Tennis Association says Peng Shua’s latest appearance has not allayed concerns about her since a video was released in which a Chinese tennis star denied accusing anyone of sexual abuse. pic.twitter.com/g3vukNKfbp

– AFP News Agency (@AFP) December 20, 2021

Yaqiu Wang, a Chinese researcher at Human Rights Watch, quoted Reuter’s report from the interview as saying, “So after 48 days, Peng Shuai suddenly encountered a reporter for a pro-Beijing newspaper and then indifferently answered his questions about the event. Intense international attention. Wow, so natural, very real. now everyone believes it. Congratulations, CCP! “

So after 48 days, Peng Shuai suddenly encountered a reporter for a pro-Beijing newspaper and then casually answered his questions about the event, which attracted a lot of international attention. Wow, so natural, very real, now everyone believes it. Congratulations, CCP! https://t.co/qBgw8Ob3ib

– Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 (@Yaqiu) December 19, 2021

Peng and his disappearance

Peng, 35, is the champion of the Wimbledon and French Open doubles. In November, he published a long post on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. In the message, he accused former Chinese Prime Minister Zhang Gaol of sexual violence. His message was censored in minutes. His verified social media account was also disabled. At the time, however, the message caught the attention of the international media.

He later disappeared from the public eye, raising concerns about his well-being at the international level. The United Nations, the White House, athletes and activists came forward and made statements about the disappearance.

After receiving international attention, the Chinese state media took action to prove that he had not disappeared. Photos and videos found their way into social media, including networks banned in China. Although Peng was seen at the junior tennis event, it was thought he was being monitored because he was not talking to anyone. Chinese state media also shared pictures of him enjoying his home.