Australian Government Voices for Chinese Tennis Player Peng Shuai


The Australian government has urged Beijing to be accountable for this issue, joining the growing number of organizations concerned about the safety of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai.

Former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli has disappeared from public in the women’s doubles after claiming to have sexually assaulted on social media.

Her disappearance raised international concerns. She reappeared in China’s national media over the weekend, showing her in a restaurant in one video and showing her participating in a local tennis tournament as a senior official in another video. However, her re-appearance has not calmed her safety concerns.

“It’s understandable that many people, including the international sports community, have expressed serious concerns about Peng’s welfare,” said an Australian government spokesman. Guardian Monday night.

“This is a problem that needs to be addressed with transparency and accountability.”

Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on November 21 that its chairman, Thomas Bach, had made a 30-minute video call with three Olympic athletes, Penn. According to the IOC, during the call, Peng said he would live in his home in Beijing, be safe and energetic, and respect his privacy at the time. statement..

Epoch Times Photo
China’s Peng Shuai celebrates after winning the women’s double quarterfinal match in Beijing on October 6, 2017. (Emmanuel Wong / Getty Images)

But instead of alleviating public concerns, the IOC only raised more questions and criticisms.

Elaine Pearson, director of Australia’s Human Rights Watch, has criticized the Olympics for promoting Beijing’s “national publicity.”

“In the light of Bachpen’s call to stand up for the freedom and security of athletes instead of promoting China’s national promotion, the IOC should do:” she writes. director On Twitter.

Link to post statement Human Rights Watch has withdrawn the video call statement from the IOC, publicly explained the circumstances surrounding the video call, and urged the Chinese government to initiate an independent and transparent investigation into Peng’s allegations.

This comes after Zhang Gaoli is revealed Played an important role To hold the Beijing Winter Olympics.

This happens when human rights groups are calling on governments around the world to hold a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics, given the widespread human rights violations of the communist regime.

A diplomatic boycott is when an official government delegation is not present, but athletes can participate as needed.

Australia is closely watching US actions, and President Joe Biden confirmed last week that the Biden administration was considering a diplomatic boycott.

“The federal representative has not yet been decided at the Beijing Winter Olympics,” a spokesman told Guardian Australia.

Frank Fang contributed to this report.

Epoch Times Sydney Staff

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