Missouri might be in some serious heat after Attorney General Catherine Hanaway made a bold move that sparked international backlash. On Tuesday, Hanaway announced that China has filed a $50 billion lawsuit against the state of Missouri.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of several powerful institutions in China, including the People’s Government of Wuhan, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology. According to the complaint, Missouri is being called an “economic and reputational threat” to the entire country of China.
This legal firestorm didn’t come out of nowhere. It follows Hanaway’s attempt to go after Chinese-owned assets a move that clearly didn’t sit well overseas.
While most state-level lawsuits barely make headlines outside of the region, this one is different. It’s global. And now, Missouri is sitting at the center of a multi-billion dollar international lawsuit. We’ll be watching to see how far this battle goes and if other states are going to think twice before stepping on the toes of foreign powers.
