Representative Bera Statement on Continued Disappearance of Chinese Tennis Player

WASHINGTON, DC - Representative Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA), Chair of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation, released the following statement on the disappearance of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai after accusing a former Peoples Republic of China (PRC) senior official of sexual assault.

"As Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation, I join the global community in expressing my deep concern over the continued disappearance of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai. The PRC government has a responsibility to immediately provide verifiable evidence of Peng's safety and whereabouts. There must also be a formal and independent investigation into Peng's accusations of sexual abuse by a former PRC senior official.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has consistently demonstrated its flagrant disregard for human rights and freedoms of speech, religion, and assembly. The CCP forcefully disappears brave Chinese citizens who speak out against its authoritarian rule, has perpetrated genocide against Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, and has violently suppressed democracy movements in Hong Kong.

The world cannot stand idly by as the CCP continues to commit egregious human rights atrocities and violate basic freedoms. The United States must continue to spotlight the PRC's abuses and advocate for those whose voices are being silenced. That's why I strongly urge the Biden Administration to implement a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Olympics. We must continue to speak with one voice in support of freedom, justice, and human rights, whether in the United States or abroad."