Chinese court hears US$53.5 billion Covid defamation case against US state of Missouri
A Chinese court has begun hearings in a defamation case filed by authorities and institutes in Beijing and Wuhan against the US state of Missouri over accusations tied to Covid-19. In a notice on Monday, the Wuhan Intermediate People’s Court said it held a hearing on Friday and legal proceedings were continuing. The case was jointly filed on April 30, 2025 by the Wuhan government in Hubei…
Beijing and Wuhan authorities have initiated a defamation lawsuit against the US state of Missouri and two former attorneys general over alleged malicious and abusive litigation, fabrication of false information, and stigmatising remarks regarding the Covid-19 pandemic. The Wuhan Intermediate People’s Court held a hearing on Friday, with legal proceedings ongoing as of Monday, according to a court notice.
The plaintiffs, comprising the Wuhan government, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and current Missouri attorney general Catherine Hanaway, seek 356.437 billion yuan (approximately US$53.5 billion) in compensation and public apologies from the defendants on various platforms. Missouri's former attorney general Eric Schmitt and Andrew Bailey are also named as defendants.
The lawsuit stems from accusations that Missouri officials orchestrated a defamation campaign against China, claiming it ignored early warnings about human-to-human transmission of the virus and failed to contain the outbreak, leading to global devastation. This marks an ongoing geopolitical dispute, with Missouri suing China in 2020 over similar allegations.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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