China sues Missouri after state seeks to collect on $25B court judgment

China has filed a lawsuit in a Chinese court seeking a public apology from Missouri and about $50.5 billion in compensation, plus legal fees and the right to pursue further damages, in response to Missouri’s bid to collect on a roughly $25 billion federal court judgment tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said Tuesday in a news release that China is filing the complaint in the Intermediate People’s Court of Wuhan and that the case seeks a public apology, damages, and the right to claim additional compensation. The original Missouri suit, filed in 2020 by then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt and continued by his successors, alleged that Chinese officials hoarded personal protective equipment during the early months of the pandemic, harming Missouri residents. Hanaway described the new filing as a response to Missouri’s efforts to enforce the judgment and said the move underscores the position the state has taken since the case began.

Last month Missouri escalated its efforts to collect, asking the U.S. State Department to formally notify China that the state intends to pursue assets with full or partial Chinese government ownership to satisfy the judgment. That step marks a shift from litigation in U.S. courts toward potential asset enforcement abroad, though questions remain about the feasibility of collecting from a foreign government under U.S. and international law.

Chinese officials have urged that the earlier Missouri suit be viewed through a political lens. Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said in an emailed statement that he wasn’t familiar with the specifics of the new case but characterized the earlier Missouri lawsuit as a “purely politically motivated maneuver.” He added that China would oppose the move and reserves the right to countermeasures. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has previously said that its actions during the pandemic aren’t subject to U.S. jurisdiction and that it does not recognize the ruling.

The court dispute has followed a complicated legal path. U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh initially dismissed the lawsuit in 2022, saying Missouri could not sue China, its Communist Party and several government or scientific agencies. An appeals court, however, allowed one portion of the suit to proceed—the allegation that China hoarded PPE. After China did not participate in the proceedings, Limbaugh accepted Missouri’s estimate of past and potential future damages at more than $8 billion, tripled the amount as federal law allows, and added 3.91% interest until collected. The case has thus moved from a U.S. courtroom to a foreign proceeding in a way that few pandemic-era suits have.

The complaint linked to Hanaway’s news release accuses Missouri, as well as former Attorney Generals Schmitt and Bailey, of “fabricating enormous disinformation, and spreading stigmatizing and discriminating slanders” that have harmed China’s reputation. Schmitt said he would wear the suit “like a badge of honor” and accused Chinese authorities of trying to absolve themselves of early-pandemic wrongdoing.

Legal observers say enforcement of any foreign-judgment award in U.S. courts remains complicated by sovereign immunity and the broader international-law framework governing state assets. While the Missouri case produced a substantial judgment in U.S. court, gathering payment from a foreign government, or from entities tied to it, involves a host of legal hurdles, including whether assets are identifiable and legally collectible under both U.S. and Chinese law. In practice, whether China can be compelled to transfer assets resides in a broader debate about the reach of U.S. courts and the willingness of Beijing to comply with foreign judgments.

The episode illustrates enduring strains between Washington and Beijing over accountability for the pandemic and the international handling of medical supplies and supply chains. By pursuing a domestic legal strategy in the United States and a parallel foreign action in China, Missouri has highlighted the challenges of enforcing large civil judgments against foreign governments in a post-pandemic era. The outcome of the Wuhan filing remains uncertain, and observers say it could influence how both sides frame future disputes tied to global health crises.