China's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday slammed the accusation of the U.S. that China should be responsible for the coronavirus pandemic that has affected over 2.56 million people in the world, saying such allegation against the country is groundless and lacks legal basis.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang called the accusation is "purely malicious" and is against basic legal principles.

"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 U.S. courts," Geng told reporters at a daily media briefing.

On Tuesday, Missouri became the first U.S. 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 (PPE).

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

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 (WHO) and countries, including the U.S.

"China has regularly notified the U.S. of information since January 3, and the channel for U.S. 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.

(Cover: Geng Shuang, spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, speaks on a daily media briefing in Beijing, April 21, 2020. /China's Foreign Ministry)