A 6-minute video shows Peng Shuai awkwardly answering questions, saying she is 'free,' and that she never accused anyone of sexual assault

• Peng Shuai denied ever accusing anyone of sexual assault in a new video from Singaporean media.
• In the six-minute-long video, Peng answers a series of rapid-fire questions from a reporter.

A fresh video has emerged of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai in which she denies ever making a sexual assault claim against a top party official and describes herself as "free."

The video, published by Singaporean news outlet Lianhe Zaobao, shows Peng being quizzed by a journalist for almost six minutes in an interview which is at times stilted and awkward, with the reporter asking Peng a succession of quickfire questions, and Peng often claiming to be unable to hear or understand those questions.

Peng sparked global concern when she vanished from the public eye in early November after she had shared a social media post accusing Zhang Gaoli, China's former vice-premier, of forcing her to have sex with him.

The post was quickly taken down, while Peng's presence on social media site Weibo was also scrubbed clear.

She was not heard of publicly for several weeks before a number of videos of her were posted online. One showed her attending a children's tennis tournament, while another showed her eating at a Beijing restaurant.

On Sunday, Peng made a public appearance at a cross-country skiing event in Shanghai, which was also attended by NBA legend Yao Ming.

During that appearance, she was approached by a female journalist from Lianhe Zaobao, Singapore's biggest Chinese language newspaper, who asked her a series of questions about the facts surrounding her disappearance.

Video of the conversation shows Peng turning to the journalist before she has even spoken to the tennis star, and looking directly at the camera while asking: "Are you taking a video?"

After the reporter replies that she is, she begins to ask a question, but is cut off by Peng saying: "Let's go inside. It's a bit sunny here. I can't really see with the glare, sorry," and covering her eyes.

"It's ok," the reporter replies as the pair move into the shade, with Peng saying she didn't catch the reporter's question.

The reporter then asks a series of questions about where Peng has come from, if she has been living at home, and if she is being monitored.

"Why would anyone monitor me? I have always been free," Peng replies deadpan.

The journalist continues her questioning in rapid fashion, moving on to ask Peng about an email she sent to WTA boss Steve Simon last month, and the sexual assault allegations she made.

"First and foremost, I must emphasize I have never said or wrote about anyone sexually assaulting me. That's a very important point. On the Weibo post, that's my personal issue. I know there are many misunderstandings, but there is no distorted interpretation," Peng replies.

She adds that she wrote to Simon in Chinese, with her email to him then translated into English by Chinese media. "My English isn't good enough, and I can't translate from Chinese to English," she says in the clip.

Moving on to discuss Peng's call with IOC boss Thomas Bach, the reporter asks her when the calls took place, to which Peng replies: "I can't say for sure when it happened."

The reporter then asks Peng how she is currently filling her time, at which point a man's voice is heard off camera and Peng says: "I will leave it till next time to share, thanks to everyone for the concern." She then gets in a lift.

You can see the full exchange below:

While the video shows that Peng is seemingly physically well, the WTA said Monday that it does not believe that the latest video serves as an assurance of her safety.

"It was again good to see Peng Shuai in a public setting and we certainly hope she is doing well," it told The Guardian.

"As we have consistently stated, these appearances do not alleviate or address the WTA's significant concerns about her wellbeing and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion."

Along with the Lianhe Zaobao video, Qingqing Chen, a journalist at the state-owned Global Times, also posted a short video clip of Peng at the event on her Twitter account.

In it, the 35-year-old is seen talking with Yao Ming and another woman. Peng is the only person not wearing a face mask.

Earlier this month, the WTA announced it was suspending tournaments in China over concerns for Peng and the safety of its players.

"None of this is acceptable nor can it become acceptable," said Stone in a statement. "If powerful people can suppress the voices of women and sweep allegations of sexual assault under the rug, then the basis on which the WTA was founded – equality for women – would suffer an immense setback.