Chinese state media reporter shares purported pictures of Peng Shuai, US concerned over her whereabouts

The mystery surrounding Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai's whereabouts took a fresh new twist on Friday when a Chinese state media reporter shared a few pictures of her on Twitter. Journalist Shen Shiwei, who works for CGTN - the international arm of the Chinese government-controlled broadcaster CCTV, shared the purported pictures of Peng on his Twitter account.

In the pictures shared by the reporter, the 'missing' tennis star can be seen posing along with some soft toys. Shiwei claimed the pictures were taken from the tennis star's WeChat thread and that they were shared with him by one of Peng's friends.

"Peng Shuai’s WeChat moments just posted three latest photos and said “Happy weekend”.Her friend shared the three photos and the screenshot of Peng’s WeChat moments," Shiwei wrote on Twitter while sharing the pictures allegedly taken from Peng Shuai's WeChat thread.

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The authenticity of the pictures has been questioned by many as there continues to remain mystery over Peng's location. The tennis ace has been missing ever since her social media post on November 02 where she levelled sexual assault allegations against a former Chinese vice premier.

Beijing's mouthpiece CGTN had earlier released an email allegedly from Peng, stating that she is not missing and that she has been resting at home. "I'm not missing, nor am I unsafe, I`ve been resting at home and everything is fine," read the email. However, China's history of silencing growing voices in the past has led to global outrage over the whereabouts of Peng as she is yet to make a public appearance since her post on November 2nd.

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The United States (US) on Friday expressed concerns over the 'missing' Chinese tennis player and demanded "independent, verifiable proof" from China about her whereabouts. ."The US wants China to provide verifiable proofs of her whereabouts and that she is safe," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during a press briefing at the White House on Friday.

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has also called for a "full, fair, and transparent investigation" into the matter while threatening to pull out their events from China if proper action is not taken in the case. Several tennis stars including the likes of Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Andy Murray have spoken up about the missing Chinese tennis player.