Missouri plans to seize assets to make China pay $ 24.5 billion, but can it be collected?

Jefferson City, Mo.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said this week that it does not recognize the federal judge obtained the recent aspects of Missouri that China has stored personal protection equipment during the epidemic, which would harm the state and its inhabitants. China described the “ridiculous” lawsuit when it was presented in 2020, during the first months of the epidemic, and did not participate in a short trial held in Missouri in January.

The Prosecutor of Missouri Andrew Billy, a Republican, praised the judgment on Friday from the American boycott judge, Stephen Limbo, as a “historic victory” in the efforts made to China, its Communist Party and seven other government or scientific agencies responsible for the costs of the epidemic in the United States.

“These assets are not required to be inside Missouri and can be present anywhere in the United States,” Billy said in a statement on Monday. “Although we have not cooperated with other states in this particular lawsuit, we encourage others to work to hold the Chinese government accountable and seek justice for victims.”

Paul Nolit, a political scientist at the University of Market, said that international organizations are usually negotiating with such differences, or that the federal government will take legal measures on behalf of a state. He said that the country that behaves on its own can be a problem because “this can complicate relations between countries.”

He added, “The money prospects are actually very small.”

Denkan Levin, the former state prosecutor in New York City and represents foreign countries in US courts, described Pelly’s comments as a “press debate”.

According to the latest statistics of the US Department of Agriculture, Chinese interests have about 44,000 acres (17,800 hectares) of agricultural lands in Missouri at the end of 2023-tenth 1 % of 44 million acres for the state. Pelly said he would work with the administration of President Donald Trump to determine the Chinese assets in the state.

But Levin said it is not clear that the Chinese government or other defendants in the case – unlike Chinese or companies – already have anything in Missouri. He said that he suspects that Pelly has the power to seize the origins outside Missouri, and even demanding the assets that can be seized may take some time.

“Good luck with that,” said Levin. “This is a lot of difficult words that are likely to collapse in the details as soon as they enter the courtroom.”

The lawsuit was filed by Billy’s predecessor as the Prosecutor, Eric Schmet, a conservative Republic like Billy, who then won the American Senate seat in 2022.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said this week that its actions during the epidemic are not subject to the authority of the American courts. He also criticized what he called “malicious abuse of lawsuits” and added, “Using trivial cases to distort and distort China, and the blame will never succeed.”

“We ask the United States to return to rationality and correct its mistakes,” the statement said. “China has the right to take mutual measures in accordance with international law to protect its legitimate rights and interests.”

The ministry’s statement was no more specific regarding the Chinese government’s possible response, but Levin said that it may impose sanctions on Missouri companies that carry out its business in China or take action against it in Chinese courts.

“What was surprising was to see such a great ruling in a position in which this type of power is a large question: whether the state has a kind of authority to prosecute and seek rulings from other countries,” Nolit said.

Limbo, who was sitting in Cape Gerardo, about 120 miles (193 km) southeast Saint Louis along the Mississippi River, initially rejected the lawsuit, and in 2022 it was sentenced that Missouri could not sue China or other defendants under a law that generally included foreign countries of laws in the United States.

However, Missouri appealed, and the Court of Appeal said that part of a lawsuit can move forward – on the storage claim. When Chinese officials did not respond, before Limbo, an affordable estimate of the previous and possible future damages of more than $ 8 billion, doubled it three times as it allows federal law, and added 3.91 % to be collected.

“We intend to collect each penny by seizing the assets owned by China, including Missouri, agricultural lands.”

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Hanna mentioned Tobika, Kansas. Emily Wang, director of the Greater Associated Press news, in Beijing, and the Associated Press Fu Ting, also contributed to the report.