The world is asking the regime in China what happened to tennis player Pcheng Shui – PRAVDA.sk

Where is Peng Shuai / Kde je Pcheng Shui? This question has dominated the social network Twitter and is asked by the biggest tennis stars. It is not clear what happened to their Chinese colleague. They are therefore asking for an answer from the communist regime in Beijing.

Chinese tennis player Pcheng Shui in an archive picture from 2019.

Sexual assault

According to the Guardian, the Chinese tennis player, who was also a world doubles team at the time, wrote on the Weibo social network in early November that she had a sexual relationship with former Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Chang Kao-lim in the past. When the politician got to high positions, he broke off contact with her. However, about three years ago, he invited her to his house, where he sexually assaulted her.

The Internet report from Pcheng Shui lasted only a short time. She disappeared very quickly, the Chinese authorities even began to censor the word tennis, and after the sportswoman seemed to fall underground. However, according to the media in Beijing, the women’s tennis association (WTA) received a letter in which Pcheng Shui claims that she is OK and is resting. The information about the sexual assault is not true and someone allegedly published it without her knowledge.

“The statement published by the Chinese state media about Pcheng Shui only raised my concerns about her safety and where she was. I can hardly believe that she actually wrote the e-mail we received,” WTA chief Steve responded. Simon.

The Women’s Tennis Association has even suggested that it could stop organizing tournaments in the world’s most populous country if the Pcheng Shui case is not resolved. “We are at a crossroads in terms of our relationship with China and how we will do business there. We are certainly willing to withdraw from there and bear all the problems involved. This is certainly a bigger issue than our business. We must respect women. “not censor,” Simon said, adding that the WTA must demand justice, not compromise.

“I am overwhelmed and shocked to hear the news of my teammate Pcheng Shui. I hope she is safe and that she will be found as soon as possible. It must be investigated and we must not remain silent. In this extremely difficult time, I am sending love to her and her family.” Serena Williams, one of the most successful tennis players in history, wrote on Twitter.

“When I heard the story of Pcheng Shui, I was shocked. I hope she is OK and that we will find her as soon as possible,” said the men’s world tennis team Novak Djokovic.

The political dimension

For the regime in China, the Pcheng Shui case also has a political dimension. The Winter Olympics will start in Beijing on February 4. In connection with them, the possibility of their boycott is being mentioned more and more in Western countries. At least at the diplomatic level.

“The Pcheng case mimics a scenario of similar scandals that the Chinese regime does not like to discuss publicly. At the moment, this approach has been accentuated by the upcoming Beijing Olympics. “In the case of companies or organizations, it may be based on an incentive to have access to a lucrative market. If the WTA does not play by Beijing’s unwritten rules, it could be a big challenge for the regime,”

However, according to the expert, we can observe how important it is for the Chinese rulers to maintain the legitimacy of the regime and loyalty within the Chinese Communist Party. “She could have simply denied the allegations or distanced herself from the former deputy prime minister. Obviously, however, it was not on the agenda just because he is an important party representative and the criticism would not only harm him,” Dubravčíková explained.