Whew! Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai has not been “disappeared.”
Three weeks ago, Peng publicly accused China’s former vice premier, Zhang Gaoli, of sexual assault. “Her accusation on social media was removed within minutes” by “the Chinese government,” notes Fox News.
“News of the controversy,” The Washington Post adds, “remains almost universally censored within China.”
No one heard from Peng for weeks after she made the charge, understandably concerning sports officials and fellow players. Adding to the ugly optics was a phony email scam — obviously perpetrated by Chinese state media — claiming that she was okay. Then, last Thursday, Women’s Tennis Association Chairman Steve Simon put Beijing on notice that over Peng’s safety his organization was “willing to pull out of China, potentially losing hundreds of millions of dollars.”
On Sunday, China responded, allowing Peng to join a video chat with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, along with a Chinese sports official and the chair of the IOC Athlete’s Commission.
“Peng Shuai has officially reappeared in China,” explains The Washington Post, “but with silence surrounding her sexual assault allegations against a senior government official.”
“It was good to see Peng Shuai in recent videos,” a WTA spokesmen informed CNN, “but they don’t alleviate or address the WTA’s concern about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion.”
Well, that applies to almost everyone in China. Censorship and coercion are what the Chinazis do.
So what will the world’s athletes do … when, in ten weeks’ time, they are scheduled to appear in Beijing at the 2022 Winter Olympics?
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
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2 replies on “China Double-Faults”
I suggest reading about Paul Robeson’s final meeting with Itzik Feffer.
Thank you.