China calls U.S. suing against its handling of coronavirus 'malicious'

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.

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