Beijing Warns Against ‘Malicious Hyping’ Over Peng Shuai Situation
Amid growing speculation on the whereabouts of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, China’s Foreign Ministry warned against politicizing and speculating about the star’s wellbeing.
"This is not a diplomatic matter," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular press briefing on Tuesday.
"I believe everyone will have seen she has recently attended some public activities and also held a video call with IOC President (Thomas) Bach. I hope certain people will cease malicious hyping, let alone politicization," Zhao added.
On Monday the Women's Tennis Association's (WTA) said it is still concerned about Peng despite her appearance and the International Olympic Committee call.
"It was good to see Peng Shuai in recent videos, but they don't alleviate or address the WTA's concern about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion," a WTA spokeswoman said in an e-mail. "This video does not change our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into her allegation of sexual assault, which is the issue that gave rise to our initial concern."
