<span style="color: #222222;">China yesterday responded to the Women's Tennis Association's decision to suspend all its events in China over the case of former Tennis player Peng Shuai, who accused the country's former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of pressurizing her into a sexual relationship. The WTA's Chief Executive Steve Simon said, in a statement on Wednesday, the organization had been left with no choice and demanded verifiable proof that the former French Open and Wimbledon doubles champion was safe. He also called on Beijing to fully investigate her accusations. WTA has asserted that Peng has not been allowed to communicate freely and has been pressured to contradict her allegation of sexual assault.<br />''<br />''Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing in Beijing that it is opposed to acts that politicize sports. Over the past three weeks, the Ministry has repeatedly sidestepped questions about the case, saying the question was not related to foreign affairs. Last week, it called for malicious speculation about Peng to stop and warned against politicizing the case.<br />''<br />''In early November, Peng accused former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli of pressuring her into sex in a social media post that was soon d. Any references about Peng or her explosive allegation were removed from Chinese social media by Chinese censors. Subsequent reports of her going missing created an international furore. Neither Zhang nor the Chinese Government have commented on the allegation.</span><br />