With his clean record and the austere air of a Chinese Communist Party cadre, nothing seemed to indicate Zhang Gaoli would, at the age of 75, find himself embroiled in a sex scandal with global repercussions.
The former vice premier (2013-18) has been accused by tennis champion Peng Shuai -- in a message promptly censored on Chinese social networks -- of forcing her to have sex during a long-term on-off relationship.
The tennis world has expressed concern about the fate of the player, who was not seen in public for three weeks after making the allegations in early November.
Zhang has not appeared in public view and has not responded to the claims.
Born in 1946 in Jinjiang, in the southeastern province of Fujian, Zhang rose through the party ranks to finally serve for five years on the Politburo Standing Committee, which counts President Xi Jinping among its seven members at the apex of Chinese power.
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