China considering retaliation of US lawsuits regarding coronavirus origin
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According to the Chinese media, it is pondering to take action against certain US states and politicians seeking punitive damages for maligning its reputation.
China is considering retaliation against the claims of the United States that the coronavirus originated in Wuhan.
According to the Chinese media, it is pondering to take action against certain US states and politicians seeking punitive damages for maligning its reputation.
The individuals include Missouri attorney general Eric Schmitt, who filed a lawsuit in April against the Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party for the ''enormous death, suffering and economic losses they inflicted on the world''.
The report also singled out Missouri senator Josh Hawley, Arkansas senator Tom Cotton and Texas congressman Dan Crenshaw, all Republicans, for introducing legislation that would allow Americans to sue the Chinese government for damages caused by the disease.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, who suggested on Twitter in March that the US military had brought the coronavirus to Wuhan slammed the US on Thursday for shifting responsibility to China, but stopped short of saying if Beijing would retaliate.
Tensions between China and the US have been escalating over culpability for the pandemic, with US President Donald Trump’s administration slamming Beijing for cover-ups and missteps in its initial handling of the outbreak, and the Chinese leadership accusing Washington of seeking to shift blame and politicise a global health crisis.