After allegations of abuse
Disappeared tennis star: With these videos, Beijing wants to prove that Peng Shuai is fine
Peng Shua from China in action against Caroline Garcia from France during the women’s single match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing
© Wu Hong / DPA
Peng Shuai disappeared from the public eye after alleging rape against a senior politician. Now the tennis star has appeared again in public for the first time. But questions remain.
It is an unspectacular video clip: A group of people is standing on a tennis court, smiling and clapping. At the end, a young woman steps out of the group, waves to the crowd and bows with a smile. It is only interesting who this waving woman is: It is about the tennis world ranking player Peng Shuai, who disappeared for almost two weeks.
The clip was published on the Twitter channel of the Chinese journalist Hu Xijin. He is the editor-in-chief of the “Global Times, which is part of the Chinese state media.” Peng Shuai appeared on Sunday morning at an opening ceremony for the finals of a teenage tennis tournament, “he describes the clip. The recording was captured by a reporter the “Global Times”.
Three videos are supposed to prove well-being
Xijin had previously posted two clips from a restaurant that Shuai was supposed to show with her trainer and friends while visiting a restaurant. “The content clearly shows that the video was recorded on Saturday,” he wrote. Xijin had previously published some pictures of the 35-year-olds, which were supposed to come from the story function of her private account on the Wechat platform, which is popular in China. He wrote that the missing woman would soon appear in public.
The posts are in response to public pressure to leave Shuai. She disappeared from the scene after making serious allegations against former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli in a post on China’s largest social media platform, Weibo, on November 2. The senior member of the ruling Communist Party forced her to have sex in his house three years ago, according to a long post. It disappeared from the network just half an hour later. Shuai himself had also disappeared from the public for weeks afterwards.
China under pressure
Whether China can counteract the impression of censorship with the clips is another matter. “The video alone is not enough,” said the head of the WTA Women’s Tennis Association, Steve Simon, in a statement. He was happy to see Shuai in the videos. But questions remained. “While we are sure that it is her, it is still unclear whether she is free and can make decisions for herself without fear of punitive action.” He continues to worry about their safety and health. It was only on Friday that he announced that, in case of doubt, China would be completely excluded from current tournaments, although this would threaten the association with revenue losses of several hundred million dollars. “It’s bigger than business,” he explained.
Shuai’s fate has long since turned into a diplomatic crisis for China. They demand “independent and verifiable evidence of their whereabouts and their safety,” said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Friday. The response was also great in the tennis world. Stars like Serena Williams have publicly expressed concern for Shuai.
Source: Twitter, TWA statement