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A university professor who was sacked from his teaching post after being accused of having sex with a female student has resigned from the university, the school confirmed on Wednesday.
Yu Wanli, a former associate professor at the School of International Studies of Peking University, was accused of having sex with an international student surnamed Wang, who became pregnant to him.
The university confirmed the rumors in an announcement released on Nov 22, which said, "Associate Professor Yu Wanli had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a female student surnamed Wang, which triggered severe social effects".
The university relieved Yu of his teaching duties and revoked his teaching credentials. Yu has also been expelled from the Party, according to the announcement.
Wang claimed her diaries and personal items were stolen after the scandal was made public and refused to comment on Yu's resignation.
The situation was reported to the university's inspection watchdog by an anonymous university alumnus in November. Previous media reports called the informant Wang's friend.
Wang has said in previous interviews that she was seduced by Yu, who is married, and became his mistress in July 2013.
The Singaporean entered Peking University as an undergraduate student in 2004 and started a doctoral program in 2013.
She met Yu during a course on US diplomatic studies in 2013.
Wang has said she discovered she was pregnant in November and Yu asked her to have an abortion.
A softer version of the affair has spread widely among Peking University alumni and students on WeChat, an instant messaging platform.
In that version, the affair was a romance rather than a situation where a professor took advantage of a female student.
Previous reports have posted a screen capture of the lovers' WeChat messages, showing that they called each other "husband and wife".
Some netizens expressed sympathy on Weiming BBS, the university's online bulletin board, saying they "support professor Yu".
Yu's wife and child are thought to live abroad.
The Ministry of Education released a regulation on Oct 9 prohibiting university teachers from sexually harassing students or coercing them into having sex.
Faculty members who violate the regulation face punishments ranging from a warning and demerit points to demotion, suspension and even prison terms.
The November announcement from Peking University said the university values morality and behavior management from its faculty. If anyone violates that code, the university will implement severe punishment, the announcement added.
