China calls virus lawsuit brought by US state 'absurd'

China on Wednesday slammed a lawsuit brought against it by the US state of Missouri over the coronavirus pandemic as “very absurd.”

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the legal action has “no factual and legal basis at all.”

“Since the outbreak began, the Chinese government has always acted in an open, transparent and responsible way,” he said.

On Tuesday, Missouri became the first US state to sue the Chinese government over its coronavirus handling, saying China’s response to the outbreak had led to devastating economic losses in the state.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, also accused the Chinese government of making the pandemic worse by “hoarding” masks and other personal protective equipment.

Geng hit back on Wednesday, saying the suit should be dismissed, adding the move is not good for the US and is also against the very idea of international cooperation on the disease.

“According to the principle of sovereign equality of international law, the sovereign actions taken by Chinese governments at all levels in the epidemic prevention and control are not subject to the US courts,” Geng told reporters on Wednesday.

US law, under the principle of sovereign immunity, generally forbids court action against foreign governments.

He also emphasized China’s contribution to the global fight against the pandemic, including timely sharing and exchange of information with the World Health Organization and countries, including the US.

“China has regularly notified the US of information since January 3, and the channel for US to acquire data and information from China is unobstructed,” Geng said. “What the United States should do is to refute and reject such abuse of litigation.”

Virus has no boundary and is the common enemy of all human beings. It’s clear that some people try to shift responsibility in order to hide their own problems, said Geng, urging them to spend the time and energy on their own business.

Tom Ginsburg, a professor of international law at the University of Chicago, told Reuters that he thought the recent flurry of lawsuits against China serves a political end for Republican leaders facing an election in November.

“We are seeing a lot of people on the political right focus on the China issue to cover up for the US government’s own errors,” Ginsburg said.

Trump initially downplayed the seriousness of the virus, which has killed more than 45,000 people in the United States.