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The Women's Tennis Association will resume tournaments in China this year, having accepted that an investigation into the sexual assault allegations made by former player Peng Shuai will not be carried out by the Chinese government.

The former doubles world number one said in November 2021 that she was "forced" into a sexual relationship with former China Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli.

The WTA suspended its end-of-year events in China and said it would not return until there was an investigation and it had proof of Peng's safety.

After making the accusation in a social media post, Peng briefly disappeared from the public eye; she later denied making the allegation. Zhang has not commented publicly on the allegation.

The WTA had called for the Chinese authorities to hold a "full, fair and transparent" investigation before any tournaments could go ahead.

For more, Newshour's Julian Marshall has been speaking to Mark Dreyer, Beijing-based journalist and author of the book Sporting Superpower: An insider's view on China's Quest To be the Best.

Photo shows: January 15, 2019. China's Peng Shuai serves during the match against Canada's Eugenie Bouchard. Credit: Reuters

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