Foreign media report that Chinese tennis champion Peng Shuai has accused a retired Communist Party leader of sexually harassing her.

She made the allegation in a post on Weibo, a Chinese social media network. Her accusation was leveled against former Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Geoli.

“He forced me to have sex with him,” she noted.

It is said that this is the first time such an allegation has been leveled against a Chinese political leader.

The former deputy prime minister has not yet responded. Online searches for Peng have also been hampered.

Zhang Geoli, now 75, served as China’s deputy prime minister from 2013 to 2018. He is said to be close to President Xi Jinping.