<<Print>>

Lawyers in the US have launched a landmark legal action to sue China for trillions of dollars over the coronavirus pandemic, accusing its Communist leaders of negligence for allowing the outbreak to erupt and then covering it up. 

The class action, which involves thousands of claimants from 40 countries including Britain and the US, was filed in Florida last month. 

A second case launched this month on behalf of healthcare workers accuses China of hoarding life-saving medical supplies. 

The legal challenges – set to be followed by another from Israeli human rights lawyers who specialise in suing states for terrorism – ramp up the pressure on President Xi Jinping to account fully for his country’s actions.