NIAS Area Studies
PAKISTAN READER
Photo : Xinhua Net
IN FOCUS
By Dincy Adlakha
Peng Shuai’s Weibo post: a storm with high waves
Recent developments
On 2 November, Peng Shuai, a top tennis player in China, posted on the twitter-like Chinese social media site Weibo her account of her interactions with Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli. Her post revealed that she had intercourse with the known politician seven years ago, after which he did not maintain contact with her. However, a major part of the post was dedicated to incidents that began three years ago.
The post read: “I had buried it all inside me, and since you were not planning on taking responsibility at all, why did you come and look for me again, take me to your house, and force me into sex? I have no proof, and it would be impossible for me to keep any evidence. You denied everything afterward (..) That afternoon I originally did not consent and cried the whole time. ” It further narrates how their relationship transformed through playing chess, tennis, and billiards. She felt that Zhang’s wife was an empress and she was a corpse. She mentioned that she had a dispute with Zhang on 30 October and was to meet him on 2 November to talk. However, he did not show up and “disappeared as he did seven years ago” after which she posted her letter online.
Within half-an-hour of her uploading the post, it was taken down from the platform and all searches related to the star player were blocked. Although screenshots from the post were already going viral, the keywords remained blocked from searches on other social media sites as well. Many comments mentioning Zhang and Peng also vanished.
The post and its censorship led to an outcry in English language media and pressure from the Women's Tennis Association to investigate the situation. Peng’s disappearance from the public eye also led to many diplomatic and sport personalities enquiring about her well-being. Spokespeople from White House, UN Human Rights Office and other prominent organizations joined the list.
On 17 November, CGTN shared a screenshot of an email sent by Peng Shuai to the WTA chairman Steve Simon ensuring her safety and wellness. The email also mentioned that the news being shared is not true and is being published without her consent. On 19 November, WTA Chairman Steve Simon threatened to pull out from China, endangering the upcoming ten and any further events from the country. On 21 November, Chinese state media shared pictures of Peng attending a public tennis event as evidence of her well being. On the same day, she met International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach via a video call with the similar message of her safety and request to respect her privacy. However, all these appearances were not considered enough by the critics to prove her well-being. On 23 November, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian called the entire series of events a “maliciously hyped up” controversy that shouldn't be fed.
Silenced stories in China
China has been notorious, especially recently, for shutting down #MeToo voices. The legal berries such as not having an accurate ‘sexual harassment discrimination’ law. The closest legislation is ‘violation of personal rights’ which made the case of Zhao Xiaoxuan ‘Xianxi’ weaker. She sued Zhu Jun, famous TV anchor for sexually harassing her, however, the court rejected her pleas to provide evidence or attain testimony from Zhu. The court proceedings were led by one side merely and she stood defeated in the fight, her social media accounts blocked and her aides separated from her.
Although Xianxi has become the face of the movement in China, many other women have also voiced their stories. The legal barriers force them to narrate their stories on social media which weakens their case. Other famous men like Kris Wu and Liu Qiangdong also stand accused even though the stories have barely reached the Chinese public, let alone the world.
Overlay of sports and politics
Chinese sports face high political interference. The state has taken a major role in Peng Shuai’s career as well. From governing her opponents to her coaches, and even her earnings, Peng has faced dominance from the state and political figures for a long time. Her tournaments and tours, training and responses to international opponents were all determined by the state. However, her (and two other sportspersons) decision to ‘fly solo’ has freed them from the state’s control.
Implications
In many regards, the story of Peng Shuai holds great importance. First, it is the biggest addition from China to the larger umbrella of #MeToo which encompasses abuse of power and position to form exploitative relations. Second, the story is not important just for its content but also it’s characters. It reflects the misconduct running in high-ranking political figures’ culture. Third, it also speaks volumes about the political dominance in the life of sportspersons. The story is larger than one person and goes beyond the current concerns.
References
Manya Koetse, “The Silent Storm: Peng Shuai’s Weibo Post,” What’s On Weibo, 5 November 2021
Alexandra Stevenson and Steven lee Meyers, “How Peng Shuai Went From ‘Chinese Princess’ to Silenced #MeToo Accuser,” New York Times, 22 November 2021
Zhaoyin Feng and Tessa Wong, “Xianzi: The #MeToo icon China is trying to silence,” BBC, 27 September 2021
Erin Burnett, Rhea Mogul, Helen Regan and Nectar Gan, “Peng Shuai: UN calls for proof of Chinese tennis star's whereabouts; WTA chairman willing to pull out of China,” CNN, 20 November 2021
IN BRIEF
By Avishka Ashok and Keerthana Nambiar
INTERNAL
Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) to tighten celebrity information disseminated online
On 23 November, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) stated that it plans to create a positive and healthy environment and tighten regulations on the celebrity information disseminated online. The Cyberspace regulator says that it would create a “negative list” of the platforms that promote “bad values such as ostentatious wealth as well as any attempts to encourage fans to spend money to support celebrities” reported Reuters. (“China targets celebrity online information in ramp up of fan culture crackdown,” Reuters, 23 November 2021)
The latest statistical report 2000-2010 suggests China undercounted around 11.6 million childbirths
On 24 November, Bloomberg reported on China’s latest statistical yearbook released by the government on the number of children born from 2000 to 2010. The number of children born during the period of ten years was undercounted by at least 11.6 million. The possible explanation of the gap is that some parents must have failed to register the births to avoid punishment if they breach the one-child policy. The revised demography shows the difficulties of accurately counting the number of people in China. However, China is now effectively abandoning limits on family size and no penalties for exceedingly more than three children to decrease the discrepancy in the future. (“China finds 12 million children that it didn't know existed,” Bloomberg, 24 November 2021)
Chinese Premier visits the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone
On 23 November, the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was on an inspection tour in Shanghai when he encouraged reform and opening up the economy to enhance the business environment in China. Premier Li examined the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone and appreciated the institutional investments in trade and finance while encouraging the continuation of the experiment that started in 2013. He said: "China will open its door wider to the world and strictly protect intellectual property rights so that more foreign companies can invest and do business in China with confidence." (Chinese premier stresses better business environment,” Xinhua Net, 23 November 2021)
President Xi urges faster military logistics development
On 23 November, the Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the last day of the meeting on military logistics and urged the armed forces to enhance the development of modern equipment and other facilities. President Xi observed that since 2012, there had been numerous qualitative changes to the military logistics but urged the army to fasten their pace of advancement and development to keep up with the goal of celebrating the People’s Liberation Army’s centenary anniversary in 2027. (“Xi urges high-quality development of modern logistics for China's armed forces,” Xinhua Net, 23 November 2021)
INTERNATIONAL
Tanzanian Foreign Minister calls Africa-China relationship “all-weather friends”
On 24 November, Xinhua reported on the Liberata Mulamula Tanzanian Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation interview ahead of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) to be held in Dakar, Senegal. Mulamula said, “Tanzania and China are all-weather friends whose friendship has grown stronger and deeper.” Congratulating on China’s 50th anniversary of its restoration lawful seat at the United Nations and pointed out that this has “opened a new page” for China to play an important role in the international community. She further highly spoke of China’s Global Development Initiative and with the broad prospects of Africa-China cooperation, Africa has the potential to become “the next manufacturing center in the world.” (“Interview: Tanzania-China all-weather friendship grows stronger, deeper, says Tanzanian FM,” Xinhua Net, 24 November 2021)
Chairman of the NPC standing committee addressed the China-Russia meeting
On 23 November, the Chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee Li Zhanshu addressed the opening ceremony of the seventh China-Russia committee for parliamentary cooperation. The meeting was conducted virtually and is special since its the 20th anniversary of the China-Russia Treaty of Good Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation. Chairman Li appreciated the relations between the two countries that had led to many fruitful outcomes in different fields. He said: “The two countries' legislative bodies have played unique roles in enhancing political mutual trust, promoting pragmatic cooperation and carrying forward the friendship between the two peoples.” (“Top Chinese legislator addresses meeting on China-Russia parliamentary cooperation,” Xinhua Net, 24 November 2021)
Chinese envoy encourages political parties in Libya to resolve differences
On 23 November, China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dai Bing issued a call to all the political parties in Libya to collectively work towards making the electoral progress successful by removing the differences between them. He said: “China encourages all parties to resolve their disputes over the elections through dialogue and other peaceful means. We call on all foreign forces and mercenaries in Libya to complete their withdrawal as soon as possible in accordance with the relevant action plan so as to create favorable conditions for the political process in Libya.” (“Chinese envoy calls for advancement of electoral process in Libya,” Xinhua Net, 24 November 2021)
Brazil-China to strengthen their cooperation in the field of agricultural biotechnology
On 23 November, Brazil-China Business Council organized an online forum to deepen cooperation in agricultural biotechnology and seek joint solutions for green and sustainable agricultural development. Chinese Ambassador to Brazil Yang Wanming said, “Agriculture is an industry most related to green and low-carbon development, and also one of the most solid and dynamic areas of China-Brazil cooperation.” The forum attracted around 200 scholars such as officials, researchers, and businesses. Yang pledged that China is willing to strengthen its cooperation in the fields of germplasm research and development, low-carbon agriculture, green finance, and smart agriculture. “We count on our Chinese partners and they can very much count on us for increasingly global, sustainable and innovative agribusiness,” quoted Fernando Camargo, secretary of Innovation, Sustainable Development and Irrigation at Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture. (“China, Brazil seeking deeper cooperation in agricultural biotech,” Xinhua Net, 23 November 2021)