A US judge accused Beijing of concealing information about COVID-19 and storing medical protective equipment in the early stages of the pandemic - RT reported.
The lawsuit was initiated by the state of Missouri in April 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was spreading. The state's Attorney General accused China of deliberately concealing information about the virus's spread, causing countries to react slowly.
In addition, Beijing has been accused of restricting exports of personal protective equipment (PPE), causing prices to skyrocket and causing a global shortage.
COVID-19 is the third leading cause of death in Missouri in 2020-21, and state lawyers say China must take responsibility.
The lawsuit was initially dismissed in 2022 under the Foreign sovereignty Exemption Act (FSIA), which protects foreign governments from being sued in the US. However, the appellate court later allowed Missouri to continue the lawsuit with specific allegations of stockpiling medical supplies.
On March 7, Judge Stephen N.imbaugh said Missouri had provided enough convincing evidence that China was "intentionally manipulating the market to store PPE".
Missouri Chief Justice Andrew Bailey called it a "historic victory" and pledged to recover the entire $24 billion, even by seizing China's assets in the state, including agricultural land.
China immediately condemned the verdict, calling the lawsuit completely baseless in terms of legality, reality and international precedent. China's Embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said Beijing would take "commensurate retaliation" if its interests were damaged.
China has previously called the lawsuit a "legal move" and asserted that the US court has no authority to judge the actions of a sovereign nation.
