Missouri sues Chinese government over coronavirus, alleging that they ‘lied to the world’
The US state of Missouri has issued a lawsuit against the Chinese authorities, accusing them of “appalling campaign of deceit, concealment, misfeasance, and inaction” which led to “the enormous loss of life, human suffering, and economic turmoil” caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“During the critical weeks of the initial outbreak,” it reads, “Chinese authorities deceived the public, suppressed crucial information, arrested whistleblowers, denied human-to-human transmission in the face of mounting evidence, destroyed critical medical research, permitted millions of people to be exposed to the virus, and even hoarded personal protective equipment – thus causing a global pandemic that was unnecessary and preventable.”
Under US federal law, individual states are unable to sue entire countries. However, the state's case argues that China’s behaviour over coronavirus and its implications stemmed from “commercial” interests, meaning they have the right to sue.
“Defendants are responsible for the enormous death, suffering, and economic losses they inflicted on the world, including Missourians, and they should be held accountable.”
Concerns about the Chinese government’s transparency about the virus have been a running theme since early in the pandemic. In particular, questions have circulated about the government’s candour when it comes to the virus’s nature and infectiousness, as well as the true death toll in Wuhan.
The virology lab to which Mr Schmitt referred is the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is cited in the case as one theorised point of origin for the virus.
Theories about the lab’s involvement in the virus’s spread have lately become popular on the US right, ranging from claims that the virus escaped via an infected worker to the notion that coronavirus was developed there as a biological weapon.
No hard scientific evidence has as yet been advanced to support either claim, and the current mainstream scientific consensus is that the virus is animal-borne.
Read more
Tracking the coronavirus outbreak around the world in maps and charts
When can we really expect coronavirus to end?
Everything you need to know on supermarket delivery slots
The dirty truth about washing your hands
Listen to the latest episode of The Independent Coronavirus Podcast
