Chinese Foreign Ministry Warns Against Politicizing Situation With Peng Shuai

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian spoke on Tuesday against politicization of the situation with tennis player Peng Shuai, who had gone off the radar after making sexual assault accusations against the former Chinese vice-premier, Zhang Gaoli

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd November, 2021) Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian spoke on Tuesday against politicization of the situation with tennis player Peng Shuai, who had gone off the radar after making sexual assault accusations against the former Chinese vice-premier, Zhang Gaoli.

"Regarding the situation with Peng Shuai, we have stated on multiple occasions that it is a non-diplomatic issue ... We hope that certain persons will stop maliciously blowing it out of proportion, let alone politicizing it," Zhao said at a press briefing.

The spokesman earlier refrained from answering a question on whether or not China will look into Peng's accusations against Gaoli.

In early November, 35-year-old Peng posted a statement on the Weibo social media platform accusing 75-year-old Zhang Gaoli of sexually assaulting her. The post was immediately deleted, while Peng`s accounts were also removed from the Chinese social networks. After making the allegation, the tennis player was not seen in public, fueling questions regarding her whereabouts.

Last Saturday, the editor-in-chief of the Global Times newspaper, Hu Xijin, posted a video on Twitter, showing Peng having dinner in a restaurant with friends. The player also appeared at the opening ceremony of a teenage tennis match final in Beijing on Sunday.