A US state court in Missouri has issued an unusual verdict against the People’s Republic of China. On Friday, a judge ruled that the Chinese authorities had concealed the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and hoarded protective equipment to the detriment of the rest of the world. As reported by The New York Times, Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. ordered a fine of $24 billion for these infractions.
The state’s attorney general had filed the lawsuit in April 2020, accusing the Chinese government of hiding information about the virus’s existence and spread. The prosecutors also alleged that China had slowed the delivery of protective equipment to the rest of the world.
In his ruling, the judge noted that such actions by China had hindered the US government’s response to the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in the country and delayed the purchase of protective equipment for domestic medical personnel. Limbaugh stated, among other things, that “China deceived the world about the dangers and scope of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The fine was imposed on the People’s Republic, the Communist Party’s chairman, local governments, a health authority and a laboratory.
The state’s attorney general, Andrew Bailey, announced that his office would implement the judge’s ruling by seizing Chinese assets, including agricultural land in Missouri, as reported by The New York Times. The newspaper quoted the official as saying, “We will collect every cent by confiscating assets in China’s possession, including agricultural land in Missouri.”
China has, as expected, vehemently denied the allegations and the verdict. Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for the Chinese embassy, stated that the lawsuit lacks factual and legal basis and that there is no international precedent for such a ruling. He added that China would not pay the fine and would take countermeasures in accordance with international law if its interests are impaired, saying, “If China’s interests are affected, we will take resolute and lawful countermeasures.”
Although US courts can sue foreign governments, their judgments are limited by the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. Initially, Judge Limbaugh had dismissed the lawsuit, citing this act, but an appeals court later allowed the case to proceed, ruling that the act did not apply to the withholding of protective equipment.