Tennis star Peng Shuai's allegations of sexual harassment and its aftermath have drawn worldwide attention to the reality of China's censorship and the secrecy of its leadership, just as Beijing prepares to host the Olympics.
Peng, who has not been heard from in public for nearly three weeks after allegations of sexual harassment by former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli, told International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach in a video call on Sunday that he was safe and well.
The Women's Tennis Association (WTA), which has called for an investigation into her allegations, remains untrustworthy. Some Western governments and top current and former tennis players have called for Peng to be reassured.
Although international outrage was rife, experts say Beijing's growing confidence avoids the embarrassing situation for the ruling Communist Party and President Xi Jinping's priorities, which could lead to the process of setting the Olympics on the world stage.
Zhang Ming, a retired professor of politics at Renmin University, said: "Over the years, China has either responded to the negative global attention by providing an unexpected explanation or pretending not to criticize."
Beijing's censorship machine has allowed it to suppress scandals internally in China's tightly controlled cyberspace. Censors quickly removed Peng's post on Weibo on November 2, like Twitter, and blocked the subject from direct online discussion, forcing the use of linguistic tactics around it.
But attempts to control the narrative have upset foreign audiences, and Peng - a former Olympian and world number two - has called on some rights groups and politicians to boycott the Winter Games in February.
Attempts by Chinese state media reporters to allay concerns on Twitter, including a post from Peng, have been criticized by the WTA and some rights groups as uncomfortable, including "I'm resting at home and all is well." Twitter is blocked in China and these journalists did not post the same content on Chinese social media platforms.
David Bandurski, of the China Media Project, a Hong Kong-based think tank, said Chinese officials often talked on the world stage about how the country needed to "better tell the story of China."
"In the same vein, the Peng case has exposed the bankruptcy of this ambition," he said.
China's State Council Information Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China's foreign ministry says Peng's case is not diplomatic, despite concerns from the United Kingdom, the United States and France.
On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian called on "some people" to stop "corrupt propaganda" and "politicization" of the Peng issue.
'What people are talking about'
Although the Chinese government has remained silent on Peng's allegations, Hu Jizin, editor-in-chief of the Global Times, a prominent state media reporter, continued to comment on the case on Twitter, acting as a "real messenger" to the outside world. . . . . He did not mention former Vice Premier Zhang, only "what people talked about".
"Those who suspect that Peng Shuai is under pressure must have some darkness inside. There must be a lot of coercive political performance in their country," he tweeted on Sunday.
But the episode adds to Hong Kong's policy and calls for a boycott of the Olympics from rights groups critical of Beijing and others for its treatment of Uighurs, a minority in western Xinjiang. President Joe Biden says the United States is considering a diplomatic boycott, which means no US official will attend the opening ceremony.
On Monday, the Global Times published an editorial in which "anti-China forces" accused the government of trying to create problems ahead of the Olympics and said it was "inappropriate" for China to use force on the issue. It did not mention Peng.
Temporary disappearances from public life after scrapping with authorities are not unexpected in China.
Alibaba founder Jack Ma was out of sight for three months after Chinese regulators exploded in a speech last October. Fan Bingbing, an A-list movie star who appeared in the "X-Men" and "Iron Man" franchises, disappeared from public view for four months in 2019 until he was fined more than $ 120 million by Chinese authorities. Tax evasion
A Chinese #MeToo movement started in 2018 and spread to universities, NGOs, media and other industries but was largely suppressed by the authorities without any lawsuits involving Zhang's status and file.
The episode also reveals the extreme secrecy surrounding the ruling elites of the country, revealing some details of their personal lives. Zhang, who retired from public life in 2018, did not comment on the situation.
Retired Chinese politician
0 Comments