NEWS//Disappearances in China
Updates
Nov. 21: Peng reappears at youth tennis tournament
Nov 22: IOC call with Peng does not settle all questions
Dec. 19: Peng denies there was an assault.
Tennis star, Peng Shuai, used her social media account to accuse a top Chinese Communist Party official of sexual assault on November 2. Shortly after, her post was taken down and she disappeared from the public eye.
China’s Foreign Ministry reported on November 19 that it knows nothing about the whereabouts of Peng Shuai. Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters that the matter was “not a diplomatic question and I’m not aware of the situation.”
The disappearance of Chinese citizens who publicly criticize their government is not unusual. Among Chinese citizens who have disappeared are human rights lawyers, corrupt officials, book-sellers, and Coronavirus critics. But high profile citizens are not immune to disappearing under mysterious circumstances.
Actress Fan Bingbing, who starred in the 2014 X-men movie, disappeared in 2018 after being charged with tax evasion. Three months later she reappeared and apologized for dodging her tax bill.
Alibaba founder Jack Ma vanished without notice in 2020 for three months after he criticized the government for its failure to innovate. Upon his return, Ma explained he had been "studying and thinking."
Meng Hongwei, incumbent president of Interpol, went missing in September while on business in Beijing. Chinese authorities announced on October 7 that he was in their custody and under investigation for bribery.
Sources: PBS, MSN, Time, Insider, ABC News, Boxden, Global Tuidang Center