In the long list of current atrocities of the communist regime in China, the disappearance of a professional tennis player seems to be one of the lesser ones.
But the fate of Peng Shuai these days outshines the massive repression against Tibetans and Uyghurs, the crackdown on protests in Hong Kong, the persecution of religious groups and the imprisonment of civil rights activists.
The reason for this is obvious: the fate of a single person makes it clear what arbitrariness means. One can get under their wheels without opposing the regime. It is enough to cross the path of someone in power at the wrong moment. How many people in China have experienced something similar to Peng Shuai's with an official?
For the regime, the explosive nature of the case lies in the fact that it takes place at an interface between closed society and global public opinion, where silence alone no longer helps.
China is demonstrating to the whole world its inability to deal with misconduct within its own ranks.
The fact that it also becomes clear that it is not completely impervious to external pressure can be an opportunity for Peng Shuai.
Above all, however, the democratic states should draw the conclusion that it makes sense to go on the offensive against Beijing.