Out of public view for almost three weeks, Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai appeared Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021 in a live video call with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.
Peng Shuai latest news: China has sought to describe international concerns over whereabouts of tennis star Peng Shuai as a 'maliciously' hyped issue. Shuai had mysteriously disappeared for nearly three weeks after she made sexual assault allegations against one of China's most powerful politicians.
Responding to a question whether the case affected China's image on the international stage, the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said that the matter should not be politicized.
"It is not a diplomatic question. As you may have noticed, she attended some public activities recently and had a video call with IOC President Bach. We hope the certain people will stop maliciously hyping or even policizing the matter," Zhao Lijian, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, said.
Peng Shuai had appeared in a video call with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach on November 21, however, the interaction offered no answers regarding her sudden disappearance.
According to the IOC, Peng Shuai held a 30-minute call with Bach, and he recounted in a statement that she is "safe and well, living at her home in Beijing, but would like to have her privacy respected at this time."
The IOC said Bach invited Peng Shuai, a former No.1-ranked doubles player and a three-time Olympian, to dinner when he is town to oversee the troubled Beijing Winter Olympics that open on February 4.
Meanwhile, CNN reported that its signal in China had been blocked around reporting on Peng.
A search for her name Monday on Weibo, one of China's leading social media platforms, produced only a few posts about her, and they don't refer to the sexual assault allegation or the questions about her whereabouts.
(With inputs from AP)
