Chinese tennis star who accused CCP bigwig of sexual misconduct will appear in public 'soon,' state media claim

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, who disappeared after accusing a high-ranking Chinese Communist Party official of sexual misconduct on Nov. 2, is staying at home willingly and will appear in public "soon," according to Chinese state media.

Chinese censors quickly deleted the social media post in which Peng made her accusation against former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and banned all online discussion of it.

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the CCP publication The Global Times, has shared purportedly current pictures of Peng, but Reuters reports that the authenticity of these pictures has not yet been verified. International athletic bodies, including the International Olympic Committee and Women's Tennis Association, have floated the idea of pursuing sanctions against China if Peng suffers harm or disappears completely.

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Journalist Jeff Blehar of National Review posted a Tweet contrasting China's authoritarian response to Peng's allegation with the American reaction when Larry Nassar's abuses came to light. Nassar, a medical doctor who preyed on members of the U.S. women's national gymnastics team, pleaded guilty in 2017 to 10 counts of sexually assaulting minors and is serving 175 years in prison.

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Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.