Wuhan court handles defamation lawsuit against Missouri over alleged malicious claims

A court in Wuhan, the capital of Central China's Hubei province, is currently handling a defamation lawsuit involving Chinese authorities and the state of Missouri in the United States.

On Monday, the Wuhan Intermediate People's Court announced on its official website that it had accepted a case filed on May 7, 2025, by the Wuhan municipal government, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Wuhan Institute of Virology of the CAS against the state of Missouri and two of its attorneys general, Eric Schmitt and Andrew Bailey. Late last year, the Chinese plaintiffs included the current attorney general of Missouri, Catherine Hanaway, as a co-defendant in the case.

The court announced that a hearing was held on Friday, and the legal proceedings are ongoing. According to the court's statement, the plaintiffs allege that the defendants orchestrated, promoted, and executed malicious lawsuits in the US, fabricated and spread false information, and made defamatory and discriminatory remarks. These actions, they claim, have severely harmed the reputation of the Chinese government and its institutions, causing significant damage.

The Chinese parties are demanding an immediate halt to these actions by the defendants, a public apology, and civil accountability for eliminating the negative impact, restoring the plaintiffs' reputation, and compensating for the damages incurred.