#MeToo or not: controversy lingers after Alibaba fires woman who accused boss of sexual assault

Netizens have defended the accuser identified only as Zhou on social media after police said there was ‘insufficient evidence’ to support claims of rape

Zhou told a local news outlet that Alibaba fired her for ‘false information’ that damaged the company’s reputation

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A woman wearing a face mask walks by the offices of Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba in Beijing on December 13. Controversy over a former employee who accused a manager of rape was again inflamed after she said the company fired her last month for spreading “false information”. Photo: AP

Published: 10:00am, 18 Dec 2021

A controversy over a sexual assault allegation at Alibaba Group Holding became a hot topic again after the e-commerce giant fired the female employee who accused her boss of sexual assault in August, but key facts are still missing about the saga that triggered debates about work culture, gender equality and #MeToo campaigns in China.

The fresh controversy started last week, when the accuser surnamed Zhou told the state-backed news outlet Dahe Daily, in Henan province, in a written interview that Alibaba fired her late last month for spreading “false information” that negatively impacted the company.

A notice of employment termination published by the newspaper showed Zhou was paid through November 25. This was nearly four months after Zhou published an 11-page accusation online on August 7, claiming she was pressured to drink excessive amounts of alcohol during a July 27 business meeting. Later that night, she said, she was molested by a client and raped by a supervisor, identified as Wang, in her hotel room.

Zhou said she made an internal complaint but was rebuffed by Alibaba’s human resources department, which is why she decided to make the case public. In the initial aftermath, Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang said he was ashamed by the accusations and the handling of the case. On August 9, Alibaba fired Wang and punished several executives for their handling of the case. Judy Tong, Alibaba’s chief people officer, was given a demerit because the HR unit failed to pay enough attention and care to employees.

Zhou’s allegations struck a chord with many workers, triggering an uproar over unhealthy work cultures that coerce employees to binge drink at business dinners. Zhou quickly became one of the most widely known people speaking out about sexual assault in China, even without disclosing her identity.