Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

State media: Chinese tennis star Peng to reappear 'soon'

State media: Chinese tennis star Peng to reappear 'soon'

Influential Party-linked journalist seeks to calm Twitter storm after 'new' photos raise more questions than answers

Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has been staying in her own home “freely” and will make a public appearance “soon”, a prominent state-media journalist said on Saturday.

The former doubles world number one has not been seen or heard from publicly since she said on social media on Nov 2 that former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli had coerced her into sex and they later had an on-off consensual relationship.

Neither Zhang nor the Chinese government have commented on her allegation. Peng’s social media post was quickly deleted and the topic has been blocked from discussion on China’s heavily censored internet.

“In the past few days, she stayed in her own home freely and she didn’t want to be disturbed. She will show up in public and participate in some activities soon,” Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin wrote on Twitter.

The Global Times is published by the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party. Its English-language commentaries, many of them penned by Hu, are widely read for insights into what the Chinese government is thinking.

Hu said he had confirmed through his sources that photos shared on Twitter by another journalist working for Chinese state media, purportedly showing Peng at home, depicted her “current state”.

Reuters was not able to verify the authenticity of the pictures independently.

The Twitter account @shen_shiwei, labelled “Chinese state-affiliated media” by the social network, posted four undated images of Peng late Friday.

In a tweet, @shen_shiwei said the pictures, which could not be independently verified by Western news agencies, were shared on Peng’s WeChat Moments, a function often restricted to friends, to wish her followers a “good weekend”.

One photo shows the smiling player with a cat in her arms, with stuffed animals, a trophy, a Chinese flag and certificates visible in the background.

Another shot shows a selfie of Peng with a toy from the movie Kung Fu Panda, and an image of Winnie the Pooh in the background. The latter is often censored online in China as critics say Chinese leader Xi Jinping resembles the iconic character.

“If this is indeed her recent photo, I think she might be sending a hidden message to the world,” wrote one Twitter user commenting on the Pooh image.

“She needs to do a live video for anyone to believe that,” wrote another user, saying the images shown “could have been taken weeks ago”.

Requests for comment from @shen_shiwei were not immediately answered.

Twitter is blocked in China and only people with a VPN-type workaround can access it. However, many Chinese diplomats and official state media have Twitter accounts that they use to defend China’s point of view. (Story continues below)


The United States on Friday demanded proof of the 35-year-old’s whereabouts and well-being, with the United Nations also calling for a fully transparent investigation into Peng’s claims.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki had said President Joe Biden’s administration wanted China to “provide independent, verifiable proof” of Peng’s whereabouts and expressed “deep concern” about the former world top-ranked doubles player.

“It would be important to have proof of her whereabouts and well-being,” Liz Throssell, a spokeswoman for the UN Human Rights Office, told reporters in Geneva.

“We are calling for an investigation with full transparency into her allegation of sexual assault.”

Other tennis stars, sports bodies, governments and human rights defenders have added to the growing clamour for information.

China has repeatedly refused to comment on the case.

Earlier this week, state-run CGTN published a screenshot, also on Twitter, of what it said was an email written by Peng to the head and officials of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the top world body for the sport.

In it, Peng claims that her earlier accusations are “not true” and says she is “resting at home and everything is fine”.

But doubts were flagged about the awkward language and the cursor visible in the screenshot.

The head of the WTA has said the organisation is willing to lose hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Chinese business in one of its biggest markets to ensure Peng’s wellbeing.

On Friday Novak Djokovic said he backed the WTA’s threat and its president “absolutely”.

“The whole tennis community needs to back her up and her family and make sure that she is safe and sound,” said the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

“If you have tournaments on Chinese soil without resolving this situation it would be a little bit strange,” he added.

Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka have also voiced their concerns for one of China’s greatest ever players.

Peng, 35, represented China in the Beijing, London and Rio de Janeiro Olympics and won gold for China at the 2010 Asian Games.

She is a former Wimbledon and French Open doubles champion.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
×