China calls virus lawsuit brought by U.S. state 'very absurd'

BEIJING -- China on Wednesday slammed a lawsuit brought against it by 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" and repeated China's defense of its response to the outbreak, which has largely subsided in the country where it was first detected.

The ministry and other Chinese government departments have strenuously denied accusations officials delayed reporting on the extent of the outbreak in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, despite reports worries over political stability were placed above public health concerns. Medical staff who reported the outbreak were silenced under threat of legal retaliation and Wuhan went several days without reporting cases during the holding of an annual provincial government conference.

"This so-called lawsuit is very absurd and has no factual and legal basis at all," Geng said at a daily briefing. Since the outbreak began, China has proceeded in an "open, transparent, and responsible manner" and the U.S. government should "dismiss such vexatious litigation," he said.

Missouri's action is likely to be largely symbolic, however, since lawsuits against other countries typically don't go anywhere because U.S. law generally prohibits them.

Missouri's top state prosecutor Tuesday announced the lawsuit, which alleges Chinese officials are to blame for the pandemic that has sickened around 2.5 million worldwide, thrown tens of millions out of work and devastated local economies, including in China.

Attorney General Eric Schmitt said the Chinese government lied about the dangers of the virus and didn't do enough to slow its spread.