Manipulation or reality?

Photos, the authenticity of which could not be independently verified, showing a smiling Peng Shuai have surfaced on social media, as international pressure increases on China to obtain information on the comes out of the Chinese player.

Peng Shuai, 35, former world No. 1 in doubles and star in his country, has not come out publicly since the revelation of a forced sex and extramarital affair with a powerful ex-Communist Party official , 40 years his senior.

The message, briefly posted in early November on the player's official Weibo account before being censored on the Chinese internet, mentions at least one coerced sex.

The fate of Peng Shuai has since been the subject of many questions.

Several countries which the United States said Friday was "concerned" and the UN asked for proof that the player is doing well, while the hashtag #WhereisPengShuai (# WhereestPengShuai) has spread like wildfire on the social networks.

Twitter censored in China except for state propaganda

Four pictures of the tennis champion were published late Friday by the Twitter account @ shen_shiwei, labeled "media affiliated with the Chinese state" by the social network. One photo shows the smiling player with a cat in her arms in what appears to be her home. In the background, soft toys, a trophy, a Chinese flag and accreditations are visible. Another snapshot shows a selfie of Peng Shuai with a Kung Fu panda figure, an animated film for children. In the background appears a frame with a picture of Winnie the Pooh.

The Twitter account in question claims that these photos were posted privately by the player on a social network to wish "good weekend" to her contacts.

AFP was unable to verify their authenticity and requests for an explanation from the Twitter account that published the photos were immediately unanswered.

Twitter is a blocked social network in China and only people with VPN-like bypass software can access it.

In recent years, however, many Chinese diplomats and official media have created accounts there to defend, sometimes doggedly, China's point of view.

The Peng Shuai case is censored in the country.

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