Screenshots of the post have circulated on Twitter, which is blocked in China, reinvigorating discussion on that platform about gender relations in China, where men dominate the top levels in politics and business. While social media has become ubiquitous in China, it remains firmly under party control. The Communist Party’s response illustrates its determination to control public discourse and restrain social movements it can’t be sure of controlling. Earlier accusations were confined to the media, advocacy groups and academia. The accusation is the first against a prominent government official since the #MeToo movement took hold in China in 2018 before being largely tamped down by authorities the same year. Neither she nor Zhang could be reached for comment. The post was removed soon after, and a search on Weibo for Peng’s account now turns up no results. The Associated Press could not verify the authenticity of her post, which was made late Tuesday night by her verified account on Weibo, a leading Chinese social media platform. Peng is a former top-ranked doubles player, taking 23 tour-level doubles titles, including Grand Slams at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014. Her post also said they had sex once seven years ago and she had feelings for him after that. In a lengthy social media post that disappeared quickly, Peng Shuai wrote that Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier and member of the party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee, had forced her to have sex despite repeated refusals following a round of tennis three years ago.

BEIJING (AP) - Chinese authorities have squelched virtually all online discussion of sexual assault accusations apparently made by a Chinese professional tennis star against a former top government official, showing how sensitive the ruling Communist Party is to such charges.

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