Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai accuses Zhang Gaoli for forcing illicit relations

Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai shared a post on social media in which she wrote that former Deputy Prime Minister and member of the standing committee of the party's powerful Politburo, Zhang Gaoli, used to force illicit relationships. 

Peng, 35, wrote in her post that after a round of tennis seven years ago, the wife of former Vice Premier Zhang visited me at home and made wonderful arrangements for my stay, where I was abused. "I was so scared this afternoon. I never thought it could happen," she said.

 Chinese authorities have banned online discussions of harassment allegations against a former senior tennis official. This shows how sensitive the ruling Communist Party of China is to such accusations. Peng is a former top doubles player and has won several doubles titles, including the 2013 Wimbledon Grand Slam and the 2014 French Open. However, the Associated Press could not confirm the accuracy of her post, this post was soon removed. 

This is the first time since the launch of the “MeToo” campaign in China in 2018 that a senior government official has been charged with harassment. Screenshots of his post have gone viral on Twitter, which is banned in China.