Thread by @OttoKolbl

Peng Shuai being interviewed by Singapore media Zaobao:
zaobao.com.sg/realtime/china…
She is obviously surprised by the interview which takes place in bad acoustic and light conditions. She answers all questions regarding recent events. #WhereIsPengShuai? In Shanghai. 1/

Peng Shuai states that she never accused anybody of sexually assaulting her. Actually, you just have to read the post from Nov. 2 attributed to her to see that there is no such accusation. It was made up by journalists like @EmilyZFeng (NPR), @stevenleemyers (NYT) etc. 2/

Peng Shuai authenticates the content of the email attributed to her by CGTN, explaining that she does not speak English well, that she sent this email in Chinese to WTA chairman Steve Simon, but that the English translation provided by CGTN is correct. 3/

Peng Shuai also declares that whatever she wrote on Weibo is her private matter and that there have been too many misunderstandings. 4/

It is time that Western media honestly question the role they have played in this matter. They have grossly distorted the translations of the post in order to create a story about sexual assault where there is none. This is not acceptable. 5/

The post attributed to Peng Shuai is about an extramarital affair, which made her suffer because she was forced to keep it secret. She was tired of the constant lies and hypocrisy. Western media used it to catch her in an even bigger web of lies. 6/

Lies by the Western media ended up threatening everything Peng Shuai tried to build up in her life, i.e. integrating Chinese tennis into the international sports scene. WTA chairman Steve Simon suspended all WTA events in China, based on Western media lies, without verifying. 7/

Verifying what the post attributed to Peng Shuai actually says is easy. Find some native Chinese speakers, preferably some who are neither dogmatically pro or anti CPC and ask them. This is obviously asking too much from people like WTA chairman Steve Simon. 8/

I have been working for days on a detailed analysis of this post and of the subsequent media reporting. It will be online soon. You can expect that a lot of people, including high level tennis players, will hold the Western media accountable for this revolting matter. 9/

Peng Shuai interviewed by Zaobao (Singapore). Read the post attributed to her on Nov. 2, and you will understand. No accusation of sexual assault. CGTN email is authentic. See thread above.
@EmilyZFeng @stevenleemyers @evadou @lilkuo @LetaHong @pinerpiner @Tom_Fowdy @RaducanuIN