China’s Peng Shuai issue has become a global political issue – the United States of America, France and Great Britain demand clarification

The United States, France and the United Kingdom are demanding evidence from China of the safety of missing tennis star Peng Shuai. Meanwhile, IOC President Thomas Bach speaks with the player via video link.

Update from November 21st at 8:05pm: The President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, had a video call on Sunday with Peng Shuai, who has been missing since the beginning of November. She said she is fine and in good health at her home in Beijing, The International Olympic Committee announced. Please respect your privacy during this time. Bach was accompanied by IOC Athletes Commission President Emma Terhu and Chinese Olympic Committee member Li Lingui. The International Olympic Committee’s website shows Peng smiling on a screen in front of a number of different popular games.

The phone call with the International Olympic Committee is Ping’s first overseas contact since she accused a prominent politician of sexual assault. The players organization WTA, for example, tried in vain to contact Peng. But even such direct contact raises questions he cannot answer. Was Bing alone during the conversation? Was she at home? Who organizes the conversation? Unlike the WTA, the IOC remains conspicuously far from politics. She did not comment on Bing’s case prior to the interview.

The Peng Shuai issue has become a global political issue – the United States, France and Great Britain demand clarification

First report from November 21 at 4:08 pm: BEIJING/MUNICH – The case of missing tennis player Peng Shuai has reached politics. Over the weekend, the United States, France and the United Kingdom called on China to provide proof of the whereabouts and safety of the world’s number one doubles. “We are extremely concerned about Peng Shuai’s disappearance and are following the matter closely,” the British Foreign Office said on Saturday in London. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also called for clarification.

Peng has not been seen in public since she accused former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault on November 2 on the online Weibo service. Both had been in a relationship in previous years, according to the Post — before Zhang reached the Politburo of the Communist Party and the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office. The compulsion that Peng described occurred many years later when they met again at the Zhang couple’s home. The censors cleared the mail in half an hour and the drama began.

The Chinese government remains silent on the issue of Peng Shuai

The Chinese government has been silent so far. But over the weekend, Chinese state media released videos and photos that supposedly show Peng Shuai in normal everyday situations. Hu Xujin, editor of the state newspaper Global TimesI posted two videos on Saturday. She allegedly offered someone to have dinner with her coach and two friends. On Sunday, a video and photos circulated in which Peng Shuai can be seen in the final match of a children’s tennis tournament, but rarely speaks. The organizer posted it.

WTA was unaffected by the dinner video. Seeing Bing was said to be a positive thing. “But it remains unclear whether she is free and can act without coercion or interference.” Last week, the WTA actually questioned the authenticity of the mysterious Mail Pengs. In it, she allegedly stressed that she had never accused Zhang and was just resting.

WTA threatens to quit China; US, UK consider diplomatic boycott of Olympics

The WTA is threatening to withdraw from China over the case. The organization certainly has a certain clout, because many first-class tournaments are held in China every year. WTA president Steve Simon stressed that his association’s ties with China are at a “crossroads”. In a letter to the Chinese ambassador in Washington. “I hope I can count on you to pass on these messages to the leadership in China so that the problem can be resolved.” International tennis stars such as Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Novak Djokovic and most recently Roger Federer have also expressed public concerns about her overall.

The USA and Great Britain are also considering a diplomatic boycott of the Olympic Games in Beijing in February 2022. This means that athletes can compete, but no government representatives travel to Beijing. tennis legend Martina Navratilova with butter on Twitter: “I can’t hear the IOC!!! The last time I checked, Peng Shuai was an Olympian!!! The “missing star case” was bigger than women’s tennis, bigger than tennis, bigger than sports. It’s about basic human rights … “The Beijing Winter Games are a thorn in the side of many politicians in the West anyway due to human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. However, most states have so far hesitated to boycott. The state of Peng Shuai could be the drop that causes the barrel to overflow. (ck/with AFP)