【Epoch Times December 21, 2025】 – The Attorney General of Missouri in the United States revealed that the state will pursue Chinese assets in accordance with the judgment. Currently, Missouri is seeking federal court certification for its judgment – a legal prerequisite to initiate asset seizure proceedings under U.S. law.
If certified, the state may continue to advance the identification and seizure of assets owned by the Chinese, particularly those related to the Chinese Communist government or its agents, including farmland and financial interests. This move comes as both the U.S. and China are engaged in a legal battle over the astronomical claims related to the COVID-19 pandemic, escalating the legal dispute between the two nations.
According to a report by “News Weekly” on Friday, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway stated that Beijing’s concealment of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant harm to the citizens and economy of the state.
“We are committed to holding them accountable and recovering as much money as possible,” she told “News Weekly,” adding, “Someone asked me if we should confiscate the giant pandas in the national zoo, the answer is no, but we are focusing on other Chinese-owned assets, including farmland.”
Missouri filed a lawsuit against the Chinese Communist Party and its institutions in 2020, alleging hoarding of protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic and failing to timely disclose pandemic warnings, exacerbating the spread of the virus and directly impacting the state’s healthcare facilities.
The lawsuit brought by Missouri under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, a law passed by Congress in 1976 and signed by then-President Gerald Ford, imposes clear restrictions on such lawsuits.
On March 7, 2025, following Chinese officials’ refusal to participate in U.S. court proceedings, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office obtained a judgement of $24 billion to $25 billion against the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party, and related entities.
In response to Missouri’s victory, Chinese entities initiated a lawsuit in mid-December against Missouri in the Wuhan Intermediate People’s Court, seeking $50.5 billion and demanding public apologies in Chinese and American media from Missouri, Governor Mike Kehoe, U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt, and former Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.
The ongoing legal battle highlights the continuing diplomatic rift between the U.S. and China, raising complex issues regarding international law, sovereign immunity, and states’ rights to seize foreign assets. The outcome may set a precedent for future pandemic-related litigation and diplomatic engagements between the two countries.
In response, Missouri is actively pursuing the enforcement of a $24 billion U.S. court judgement against the Chinese government and its affiliated entities, targeting Chinese assets within the U.S.
Hanaway told “News Weekly”: “China accuses our great state of ‘stigmatizing’ the Wuhan Institute of Virology. I think that makes the problem clear… We will continue steadfastly to demand the $24 billion compensation awarded to us by the federal court.”
Missouri is seeking federal court certification for its judgement. Once certified, the state can proceed with identifying and seizing Chinese-owned assets.
U.S. Senator Schmitt, who initiated the lawsuit, stated, “I am barred from entering Communist China and now I am being sued for $50 billion by Communist China, I will take it as a badge of honor… This new lawsuit lacks any factual or legal basis, any false judgement by the Chinese court in this case will be easily dismissed, preventing its enforcement against the people of Missouri or myself.”
Following the lawsuit win in March, former Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, during an interview with “Just the News,” mentioned, “China had the opportunity to participate in the lawsuit as we formally served them with legal notice.”
Bailey added that despite being served with the lawsuit notice, the Chinese government did not even appear in court. “So, we will enforce this judgement to ensure the people of Missouri receive the compensation they deserve.” Bailey joined the FBI in September as Deputy Director during the Trump administration.
Meanwhile, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu argued that Missouri’s lawsuit was politically motivated, firmly opposing it and refusing to accept it.