The US state of Missouri says it is suing the Chinese government over its handling of the coronavirus which it says has led to severe economic losses amounting to possibly billions of dollars.
In the lawsuit, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt alleges China did little to stop the spread of the virus, he says the residents of Missouri have suffered possibly tens of billions of dollars in economic damages and he seeks to challenge these losses legally.
China’s foreign ministry rejected the move, saying the “frivolous lawsuit has no factual or legal basis”.
A spokesperson claimed: “Really absurd. Based on the principle of sovereign equality, US courts have NO jurisdiction over the Chinese government.”
The civil lawsuit was filed on Tuesday and is directed against the Chinese government, Chinese Communist Party and other Chinese officials and institutions.
In a statement, Mr Schmitt said: “In Missouri, the impact of the virus is very real – thousands have been infected and many have died, families have been separated from dying loved ones, small businesses are shuttering their doors, and those living paycheck to paycheck are struggling to put food on their table.
“The Chinese government lied to the world about the danger and contagious nature of COVID-19, silenced whistleblowers, and did little to stop the spread of the disease.
“They must be held accountable for their actions.”
It will cost the state of Missouri a significant amount of money to sue the Chinese government, this has led to some criticism, international law professor at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, Chimène Keitner said: “It will also cost the state of Missouri money to sue the Chinese government.
“Taxpayers fund the attorney general’s office, and any time spent by staff lawyers on this lawsuit is time not spent on other important matters.”
Prof Ginsburg believes the Missouri lawsuit has “publicity value” and predicts other states will follow suit. He said: “In my opinion their governors and attorneys general should spend their efforts trying to keep their populations safe.”
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Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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