The U.S. court found China responsible for hoarding protective gear related to Covid-19. A compensation decision of approximately $24 billion was made against the Beijing government.

According to The New York Times, the lawsuit filed by the state of Missouri against the Chinese government in 2020 has been concluded.

The court decision, which stated that the Chinese government was responsible for hoarding protective gear related to “Covid-19,” imposed a compensation penalty of around $24 billion on the government. Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. stated, “China not only misled the world about the scope and dangers of Covid-19 but also displayed monopolistic actions towards protective gear.” Limbaugh Jr. argued that China’s actions prevented the initial response to the virus in the U.S. and made it impossible for healthcare workers to have sufficient access to equipment. Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, stated that the decision would not be recognized by the Chinese government. State officials indicated that the penalty would be recovered by “seizing” Chinese assets, although it is not yet known when or under what conditions this will occur. While foreign governments can be sued in the U.S., these lawsuits are limited by the “Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act” regarding the conditions under which they can be pursued. The accusations that China “concealed” information related to “Covid-19” in the initial version of the case were therefore not included in the lawsuit.

“THEY DENIED THE OUTBREAK”

In 2020, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office sued the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party for “concealing information about the outbreak, arresting whistleblowers, and denying the contagious nature of the outbreak.” The indictment, which stated that China’s actions led to loss of life and serious economic problems in the state of Missouri, included statements such as, “The Chinese government lied to the world about the danger and contagious nature of Covid-19 and did almost nothing to stop the spread of the disease. The Chinese government should be held accountable for these actions.”