TAIPEI, Taiwan—A Chinese professional tennis player not seen in public since she accused a former top government official of sexual assault purportedly sent an email claiming she was safe and that the allegation was false, a message that only amplified concerns about her safety and demands for information about her well-being and whereabouts. So far,…

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and a rights group have cast doubt on an email that Chinese state-run media are attributing to missing Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai. The email, released on Nov. 17 by communist party-controlled media and not Peng herself, which begins “Hello everyone this is Peng Shuai,” has failed to quell concerns for Peng’s safety and…

TORONTO—Stacey Allaster, the former-CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) who negotiated millions of dollars of rights deals with China, told Reuters on Monday the tennis world has put Peng Shuai’s health and safety ahead of business. As the WTA and ATP Tour seasons draw to a close this week with finals in Mexico and…

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) issued a statement on Sunday calling for a “full, fair, and transparent investigation” into sexual assault allegations made by Chinese tennis star, Peng Shuai, against China’s former vice premier. WTA Chairman & CEO Steve Simon said in the statement, “Peng Shuai, and all women, deserve to be heard, not censored. Her…

News analysis Zhang Gaoli, the former vice premier of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) State Council, was recently accused of sexual assault against Peng Shuai, a professional tennis star who is 40 years younger than Zhang. Although Chinese authorities have been scrambling to block all related posts, more and more of Zhang’s alleged scandals are…

China’s highest-level and by far most astounding #MeToo allegation is currently rocking the country’s political scene. In a cut-throat, elitist, male-dominated society, why would tennis star Peng Shuai risk her life and livelihood to level allegations of sexual misdealings against a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) “untouchable” Zhang Gaoli, who was once the equivalent of China’s…

News Analysis China’s top doubles tennis player Peng Shuai publicly accused former Chinese vice-premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault in a social media post on Nov. 2. China’s internet police deleted her post about 20 minutes later, long enough for the news to make headlines worldwide. Peng alleged that Zhang coerced her into having sex…

News Analysis A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the sexual scandal allegation involving a former Chinese vice premier is “not a diplomatic issue.” A couple of Chinese commentators offered different interpretations to queries from The Epoch Times. On Nov. 2, China’s top doubles tennis player Peng Shuai publicly accused former Chinese vice-premier Zhang…

China’s social media platforms have scrubbed any references relating to a prominent Chinese tennis player and a former top Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official, after a post describing their decade-long relationship went viral on Nov. 2. Peng Shuai, a former number one ranked tennis doubles player, accused China’s former vice premier, Zhang Gaoli, of sexual coercion, before becoming his…