Chinese tennis player accuses: “Former Deputy Prime Minister Zhang raped me”

The #MeToo movement has long since also arrived in China but, for the first time, allegations of sexual violence directly involve the leaders of the Communist Party. Tennis star Peng Shuai accused former vice premier Zhang Gaoli, now 75, of raping her and then having an extramarital affair with her that lasted several years. Peng used the social media Weibo, which is widespread in China, to reveal his story. The reaction of the Beijing censors was immediate, which deleted the post, which is now no longer visible, but not fast enough to prevent its circulation among other users. About three years ago, the 35-year-old tennis player said, Zhang invited her to play tennis with him and his wife. Subsequently, he raped her inside his home. “I never agreed, I cried all the time,” wrote the tennis player. From that moment a “relationship” began that ended only when Zhang made his rise to the top of the Communist Party. Her fear, the woman explained, was of being filmed during clandestine meetings Zhang, who until 2018 was part of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China, has not made any comment on the affair, which at the moment is based solely on Peng’s accusations. . The tennis player herself in her post acknowledges that she has no evidence to back up her story, but that she is determined to bring “the truth” out into the open. “Like an egg hitting a rock, or a moth the flame, courting self-destruction, I will tell the truth about you”, wrote the former number one of the world ranking in double. among others, the Guardian is currently unverifiable, as Peng’s complaint post, posted on Tuesday evening, was deleted. Beijing authorities also appear to have activated the ‘Great Firewall’ they use to stem uncomfortable content on the Internet. Online searches for Peng’s name, as well as, in some cases, the word “tennis” appear blocked. Peng’s Weibo account also disappeared from search engines and comments disabled. In the past, Beijing authorities have already sanctioned party and government officials for their sexual conduct, often linking the allegations to corruption charges. However, it is the first time that a personality of the caliber of Zhang has been publicly involved in events of this kind.