BBC Online :
Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai has denied making an accusation of sexual assault, in her first media interview since alleging a top Chinese leader had coerced her to have sex.
Ms Peng sparked global concern when she disappeared from public view after posting the allegations online. She has now said there had been “a lot of misunderstandings” about the post.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) said it was still concerned that she was being censored by the state.
In the video interview with Lianhe Zaobao, a Singaporean Chinese-language newspaper, Ms Peng explained: “I have never said or written that anyone sexually assaulted me. This point must be emphasised very clearly.”
In her original note, which was posted on the Chinese social media platform Weibo in November, she accused former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli of forcing her to have sex with him.
Ms Peng, who appeared to have trouble hearing the reporter in the interview, and seemed surprised at the line of questioning, said she was not under surveillance.
“Why would anyone monitor [me?] [I have] always been very free,” she said.
Lianhe Zaobao is read in mainland China and has in recent years been known for its pro-Beijing coverage.
The interview was carried out on the sidelines of a sporting event in Shanghai, where she appeared with national athletes including basketball player Yao Ming. A video of Ms Peng speaking to the basketball star was posted to Twitter by a state media journalist in which the tennis player is the only person not wearing a mask.
Other images of her in Shanghai were posted to Twitter by sports executive Ding Li.
Responding to her latest comments, the WTA, the governing body of women’s tennis, said it welcomed her appearance “in a public setting” but that it did not “alleviate or address… concerns about her wellbeing and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion”.
