Is #MeToo over in China with settling of JD.com founder sex claims case?
- Activists believe the movement will continue despite the halting of a civil trial in the US against tech billionaire Richard Liu Qiangdong
- But while they regard the outcome as a victory for the accuser, Chinese social media reaction has been divided and confused
At a rented Airbnb in Minnesota, the fridge was stuffed with enough food for a week and a printer had been bought to churn out publicity material throughout the hearing.
Liang Xiaowen, 30, was arranging for another 20 of her fellow activists to attend the trial in a Minneapolis court when she heard the news on October 2 – a settlement had been reached and the hearing cancelled, a day before it was due to start.
“I was stunned, because our plans would need to be changed, ” Liang said. “But the next moment, I felt very, very relieved.”
Liang, who lives in New York, had travelled to every preliminary hearing since Liu Jiangyao – no relation to the JD.com founder – filed the lawsuit in April 2019, accusing him of raping her in August the previous year, when she was a student at the University of Minnesota.
Liu, now a 25-year-old graduate student, was seeking US$50,000 and additional punitive damages while the businessman denied the accusation.
“This is a case with great attention from many #MeToo supporters, and we have also prepared ourselves for the entire month of court,” Liang said. Anxiety as the trial approached had caused her to lose hair and sleep, she said. “I can’t even start to imagine how much pressure [Jingyao] had to bear.”