The Chinese government has described as absurd the claims by the US state of Missouri that the Asian country was not transparent on coronavirus thereby putting Missouri citizens in danger.
The state has sued China’s leadership and is seeking damages over what it described as deliberate deception and insufficient action to stop the pandemic. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, responding to the lawsuit at a regular press briefing said:
This so-called accusation, which has no factual and legal basis, is absurd.
Since the outbreak began, the Chinese government has always acted in an open, transparent and responsible way.
Missouri state joins Germany and some United States business owners who are also demanding restitution for damages caused by the virus.
The state cites China’s “early suppression of news of the virus” when it broke out in Wuhan, including the silencing of whistleblowers.
It also noted that China initially said there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission.
Meanwhile, Tom Ginsburg, a professor of international law at the University of Chicago is pessimistic about the lawsuit’s chances of success as US law, under the principle of sovereign immunity, offers foreign governments broad protection from being sued in US courts.
More: Al Jazeera