Beijing: Missing tennis star Peng Shuai reappeared in public Sunday at a youth tournament here. This is according to photos released by the organiser, as the ruling Communist Party tried to quell fears abroad while suppressing information in China about Peng Shuai after she accused a senior leader of sexual assault. The post by the ‘China Open’ on the ‘Weibo’ social media service made no mention of Peng’s disappearance or her accusation.
The three-time Olympian and former Wimbledon champion was shown standing beside a court. Peng was seen waving and signing oversize commemorative tennis balls for children.
The ruling party appears to be trying to defuse alarm about Peng without acknowledging her disappearance after she November 2 accused Zhang Gaoli, a member of the party’s ruling Standing Committee until 2018, of forcing her to have sex.
Peng’s disappearance and official silence in response to appeals for information prompted calls for a boycott of the Winter Olympics here in February, a prestige event for the Communist Party. The women’s professional tour threatened to pull events out of China unless the safety of the former No. 1 doubles player was assured.
Discussion of Peng’s accusation has been deleted from websites in China. A government spokesman Friday denied knowing about the outcry. The ruling party’s internet filters also block most people in China from seeing other social media abroad and most global news outlets.
Comments on Chinese social media Sunday criticised the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and others who spoke up about Peng.
Comments in Chinese on Twitter poked fun at the awkward release of photos and video of Peng by employees of state media this weekend while the government stayed silent.
“When will the WTA get out of China?” said a comment on the Sina Weibo social media service, signed ‘Sleep Time’.
Peng adds to a growing number of Chinese businesspeople, activists and ordinary people who have disappeared in recent years after criticizing party figures or in crackdowns on corruption or pro-democracy and labour rights campaigns.
Some re-emerge weeks or months later without explanation, suggesting they are warned not to disclose they were detained or the reason.
Peng’s appearance Sunday was mentioned in the final sentence of a report about the tournament on the website of the English-language ‘Global Times’, a newspaper published by the ruling party and aimed at foreign readers, but not immediately reported by other media within China.
The ‘Global Times’ editor, Hu Xijin, said Saturday on Twitter, which can’t be seen by most internet users in China, that Peng ‘stayed in her own home freely’ and would ‘show up in public’ soon.
A comment on Twitter signed ‘bobzhang999’ said, “Hu Dog, with so many photos, why don’t you let Peng Shuai talk?” Another, signed ‘Magician’, said, “Let Peng Shuai’s parents hold a news conference.”
Tennis stars and the WTA have been unusually vocal in demanding information about Peng. Other companies and sports groups are reluctant to confront Beijing for fear of losing access to the Chinese market or other retaliation.
The ruling party however, has given no indication whether it is investigating Peng’s accusation against Gao, 75. The latter has largely disappeared from public life.
Even if Peng’s accusation is deemed valid, people in China often are jailed or face other penalties for embarrassing the party by publicising complaints about abuses instead of going through the secretive, often unresponsive official system.
The status of star athletes such as Peng is especially sensitive. State media celebrate their victories as proof the party is making China strong. But the party is vigilant about making sure they cannot use their prominence and public appeal to erode its image.