In the WTA statement,chief executive Steve Simon called for China to “end censorship against Peng”. Peng’s social-media presence has disappeared from Weibo (the Chinese-language equivalent of Twitter). The word “wangqiu”,Chinese for tennis,was also censored on the network.
By making a stand,the WTA is endangering a relationship that contributes a large percentage of its income. There were nine women’s events in China in 2019 before COVID-19 intervened.
One possibility is that Peng is under house arrest in Tianjin,the port city where she lives,as a punishment for challenging the regime. If so,there is a chance that pressure from the international community could help her.
The original post on Weibo was visible only for about 20 minutes,but it was long enough to make a big impact. It was described at the time as the most serious “Me Too” issue to have emerged in China to date,and the first to involve a high-ranking CCP official.
Peng,35,won the women’s doubles at Wimbledon in 2013 and at the French Open in 2014. She also reached the semi-finals of the US Open as a singles player in 2014. After Li Na,she is probably the best-known tennis player in China,although she has not played in an elite match since March 2020.
Zhang,75,used to be one of seven men on the CCP’s Politburo Standing Committee - the body at the centre of the Chinese government. He was also China’s senior vice-premier from 2013 until his retirement in 2018.