Chinese court throws out first #MeToo case

A Chinese court on Tuesday threw out a landmark sexual harassment case on the basis of insufficient evidence, in a blow to the country's fledgling #MeToo movement.

Zhou Xiaoxuan, now 28, came forward in 2018 to accuse former state TV host Zhu Jun of forcibly kissing and groping her during her 2014 internship at the broadcaster.

Her claims ignited a social media storm and inspired many women to share their experiences of sexual assault publicly.

But after a three-year legal battle, the court ruled there was not enough evidence to proceed.

"The evidence provided by the plaintiff Zhou was insufficient to prove her argument that she was sexually harassed by the defendant Zhu," Beijing Haidian District People's Court said in a statement late Tuesday, adding that the case would not proceed to trial.

Zhou's case against Zhu was originally filed under the "personality rights" law -- covering rights relating to an individual's health and body -- but her lawyers later asked for it to be considered under new sexual harassment legislation that was passed last year.