US court fines Asian country $24 billion for Covid-19 data-related allegations

A court in the US state of Missouri on March 7 ruled that the Chinese government was responsible for concealing information related to the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic and fined the country more than 24 billion USD.

The US is one of the countries with the highest number of Covid-19 infections and deaths. (Source: Reuters)

The New York Times (NYT) reported that this lawsuit was filed by the Missouri Attorney General's Office in April 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic first broke out.

According to the news, Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. ruled: "China misled the world about the danger and scope of the Covid-19 pandemic" and "took monopolistic actions to hoard personal protective equipment (PPE)".

The ruling stressed that China's actions prevented the United States from responding promptly to the pandemic and purchasing enough protective equipment for health care workers.

Missouri also claims that China intentionally restricted exports of protective equipment, causing price gouging and shortages. Missouri attorneys say Covid-19 was the third leading cause of death in Missouri in 2020 and 2021.

The lawsuit was dismissed in 2022 under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), which limits the ability of US courts to hold foreign governments liable for non-commercial actions.

However, an appeals court later allowed the case to proceed with a narrower scope.

On Beijing's side, speaking to the NYT , the official spokesman of the Chinese Embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, declared that the Beijing government will not recognize this ruling.

However, according to Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, "China refuses to appear in court, but that does not mean they can escape responsibility for causing untold economic damage and suffering. We intend to recover every penny by seizing Chinese-owned assets, including farmland in Missouri" - Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, said.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/toa-an-my-phat-mot-quoc-gia-chau-a-24-ty-usd-voi-cao-buoc-lien-quan-du-lieu-covid-19-306864.html