Chinese court hears $53.5 billion COVID defamation suit against US State of Missouri - The News International
A Chinese court has started hearing a defamation case filed by local authorities and scientific institutions against the US state of Missouri and several of its current and former attorneys general, over claims that they fabricated and disseminated false information related to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Chinese lawsuit is the latest in an ongoing back-and-forth after Missouri in April 2020 filed the first-of-its-kind lawsuit against Hubei and other Chinese defendants, seeking to hold them responsible for alleged economic damages stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.
According to an official notice published on Tuesday, the Wuhan Intermediate People’s Court has opened legal proceedings in a multi-billion-dollar defamation and reputational damages lawsuit brought by Chinese authorities against the U.S. state of Missouri.
The case was brought by the Wuhan municipal government, the Wuhan Institute of Virology and Beijing's Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The high-profile cross-border litigation marks a dramatic escalation in an ongoing legal feud that originated from early pandemic-era blame and lawsuits.
Jointly filed by the Wuhan municipal government, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the lawsuit names the state of Missouri alongside current and former state attorneys general (including Eric Schmitt and Andrew Bailey).
The plaintiffs allege that Missouri officials orchestrated "malicious and abusive litigation" and disseminated false information containing "stigmatizing and discriminatory remarks" regarding the origins of COVID-19.
Chinese plaintiffs are seeking roughly $53.5 billion (356.4 billion yuan) in financial compensation.
In addition to damages, the suit demands formal public apologies published across major domestic and international media outlets and platforms, including The New York Times, CNN, YouTube, and Xinhua.
The legal action follows a U.S. federal judge's default judgment in March 2025, which ordered Beijing to pay $24 billion to the state of Missouri over pandemic-related liabilities and personal protective equipment (PPE) disputes.
Legal experts view the Wuhan proceedings as a direct counter-offensive designed to to complicate Missouri's efforts to collect or seize international assets.
