The recent events that unfolded in India’s frenemy nation- China, gained global attention. As the tennis star, Peng Shui reappeared after the speculations of her being disappeared/ detained did rounds across the world. The tennis champion recently accused the former senior Chinese vice premier Zhang Gaoli of sexually assaulting her following which the news of her sudden disappearance sprawled across the world. This is the second incidence that caught global attention since the similar incident of Jack Ma’s controversial speech, followed by the reports of him being missing went viral. Such frequent happenings make it pretty evident that the “freedom of speech in China” is nothing but a toothless tiger.
It is quite ironic that a global power with a population of 1.4 billion does not have enough mouths to speak for itself. Even if they do, they are hushed by the power of just “one man”. Sporting stars Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, the WTA, and many others raised their concern over the disappearance and safety of the tennis star and demanded a transparent investigation of the issue and even criticized the International Olympic Committee for their apathetic approach towards the case.
The Chinese government adopted the tactics of “blue-penciling” and deleted the accounts of the tennis star. Later, a Communist party “controlled newspaper” released a series of pictures and videos of Peng attending a tennis event and having a meal at a restaurant in Beijing. The heat further grew when the IOC released a photo of Peng on a video call with the IOC president Thomas Bach where she stated that she was safe at her house in Beijing. But the picture and the statement did not satisfy the global supporters as they did not consider them to be enough as proof of the safety of Peng and also accused China of not providing the tennis star a platform to discuss her accusations.
The Chinese leadership not only impedes the freedom of speech of its citizens but also forced outsiders to dance to their tunes. The cases of John Cena indirectly apologizing on Weibo for calling Taiwan a country or the global hotel chain Marriott International facing a ban for listing Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, and Macau as different countries in their Q&A, or warnings issued to various airlines for the same are enough indications to prove how China positions itself as being the puppet master.
China has often tried to push back any allegations against the government especially in cases concerning #MeToo. Given the involvement of two prominent personalities, in this case, the Chinese government has been extra cautious and tight-lipped on the issue as it would affect the country’s image just before the commencement of the much-anticipated Winter Olympics in Beijing. But the government will inevitably have the boomerang coming back to them. As far as the leader is concerned, Xi Jinping will have to face the repercussions of his so-called democratic policies as the 20th national congress of the CCP is due in October’22.
For the world, it is another moment to show off their freedom of speech and raise their voices for yet another woman from a country where the government is devoid of hearing!
