Key Points
- This man was accused of rape, now he's meeting with China's elite.
- Zhang Gaoli has kept a low profile ever since he was accused of rape by Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai.
- But this weekend he again appeared among China's elite decision makers.
Almost one year ago Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai created headlines when she accused a high-ranking Chinese official of forcing her into sex, before retracting her allegations and disappearing from public view.
The revelation sparked international concern for Peng's safety after she disappeared for three weeks with celebrities including Naomi Osaka drawing attention to the story, using the #WhereIsPengShuai hashtag.
Months later the former world No 1 doubles player re-emerged to announce her retirement, and said she had never accused anyone of sexually assaulting her and that a social media post she made had been misunderstood.
Delegates including Zhang Gaoli (second from left) attend the opening session of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the Great Hall of the People on October 16, 2022 in Beijing, China (From left to right): Wang Chen, Zhang Gaoli ,He Guoqiang and Wu Guanzheng. Source: Getty / Lintao Zhang
Mr Zhang was seated in the front row of the conference held every five years to elect China's senior leadership.
China expert Jennifer Hsu of the Lowy Institute said Mr Zhang was still considered to be a senior member of the Community Party even though he was retired.
Mr Zhang was once one of China's most powerful politicians and had a seat on the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) between 2012 and 2017. This group of seven people are the most powerful decision-makers in the country.
He was also vice-premier of China's State Council between 2013 and 2018. As the leader in charge of economic matters, he oversaw President Xi Jinping's signature Belt and Road initiative and the Winter Olympics.
"It befits the occasion that he is present and seen at the Congress with other senior members of the party," Ms Hsu told SBS News.
"If he didn't appear it will create more speculation as to why, [than if] he did appear.
"The party Congress is a time for all members of the party, senior members of the party, to be present and to be seen doing their duty for the party."
What did Peng Shuai accuse Mr Zhang of doing?
In a post on microblogging website Weibo in November last year, Peng alleged that Mr Zhang invited her to his house to play tennis in 2018. She said they had previously had a consensual extramarital affair that ended when Mr Zhang was appointed to the Politburo Standing Committee and he stopped contacting Peng.
But Peng alleges that during the visit to his home, Mr Zhang coerced her into having sex while someone stood guard outside the door.
Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai. Source: Getty
“That afternoon I didn't give my consent and couldn’t stop crying. You brought me to your house and forced me and you to have relations,” she wrote.
About half an hour later, the post disappeared, and there was silence from Peng for three weeks. The International Olympic Committee said they had spoken with her on 21 November and she later appeared at the Winter Olympics, although there are still fears about her well-being.
Late last year Peng denied making allegations of sexual assault in an interview with Chinese media, something she repeated during an interview with L'Equipe, which took place in a hotel room with Wang Kan, the chief of staff of the Chinese Olympic Committee, present.
"Sexual assault? I never said anyone had sexually assaulted me in any way," the paper quoted Peng as saying.
Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai looks on during the Women's Freestyle Skiing Freeski Big Air Final on Day 4 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Big Air Shougang on February 08, 2022 in Beijing, China. Source: Getty / Richard Heathcote
"You can imagine that a political machinery like the Communist Party will go into overdrive, to protect and shield one of its members from such an accusation," she said.
"The party throws its weight behind its member to create doubt — to plant doubts into the public mind as to the truthfulness of her accusation.
"But it doesn't take away from the fact that she made that accusation in the first place."
Have the accusations damaged Mr Zhang?
Ms Hsu noted that Mr Zhang had made no comments about the allegations and does not seem to have appeared in public until now.
"That's probably at the pressure of the Communist Party, trying to limit the damage done or the potential damage," she said.
She said his public appearances will likely be limited to the Communist Party Congress.
"Then he'll probably be shuffled away to limit any further hypothetical or speculation as to what he did and didn't do with Peng Shuai," she said.
"I think the party state is trying to limit damage, whether there is truth in Peng Shuai's accusation or not."
Communist Party ruled by men
There are few women attending the Communist Party Congress and there is currently only one woman in the politburo. There are no women in the powerful seven-member standing committee.
A handful of women are seen among the male-dominated 20th National Congress of the Communist Party being held the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on October 16, 2022. Source: Getty / Emre Aytekin/Anadolu Agency
"But as we know, how allegations of sexual harassment, rape, domestic violence are addressed, at the top level when it concerns senior party members, is quite problematic," she said.
She said a number of recent incidents had also illustrated how problematic the issue of gender equality was in Chinese society. This includes a group of three women who were punched and beaten at a barbecue restaurant after rejecting one man's advances.
"Those kinds of demonstrations show that there is an undercurrent within society as to the treatment of women, and how women are treated both, in a public space like that, as well as what that might be reflected in a private space [like] a home."
