Missouri’s Historic $24 Billion COVID Judgment Opens the Door to Seizing Chinese Assets — A Warning for America
The State of Missouri has taken a dramatic step that could redefine how the United States confronts foreign governments that harm American citizens. With the completion of a legally required diplomatic process, Missouri is now poised to seize Chinese-owned farmland, real estate, financial assets and other holdings within its borders as part of a historic $24 billion COVID-19 judgment against the People’s Republic of China. While the judgment is a victory for Missourians seeking accountability, the implications extend far beyond the state’s borders. This case serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing risks posed by the Chinese government to American health, security, land ownership and economic resilience.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced that her office has formally executed the steps necessary under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act to enforce the massive judgment. Her office mailed the required diplomatic service packets — including Mandarin translations — to the U.S. District Court, which will now forward them to the U.S. State Department. Once diplomatic service is confirmed, Missouri can return to federal court to secure the certification needed to begin seizing Chinese assets inside the state. This includes farmland, commercial real estate and other holdings that Chinese state-linked entities have acquired over the past decade.
For many Americans, the headline may appear to be a local legal matter. But beneath the surface lies a deeper national concern. China’s growing economic footprint in American agriculture, its attempts to influence local communities and its track record of withholding key information during the early days of the pandemic all reveal a troubling pattern. The Missouri judgment is not merely about financial damages; it is about recognizing how China’s actions have directly endangered Americans and why vigilance is essential moving forward.
At the heart of the case is a federal court ruling issued in March 2025, which found China responsible for “causing and exacerbating the COVID-19 pandemic” through its actions, suppression of information and failure to contain early viral spread. This is one of the largest judgments ever issued against a foreign nation in the United States. The judgment also sends an unambiguous signal: foreign governments that harm Americans — whether through negligence, secrecy or deliberate misconduct — can and will be held accountable in U.S. courts.
The next chapter of this case focuses on Chinese-owned assets within Missouri. In recent years, China has dramatically expanded farmland acquisitions across the United States, raising bipartisan alarms about national security. Missouri is among the states where Chinese entities purchased agricultural land, some of it located near critical food production centers and essential infrastructure. The Attorney General’s plan to target these holdings as part of the judgment enforcement represents more than a financial mechanism; it highlights how deeply embedded Chinese interests have become in key sectors of the American economy.
This is not an isolated issue. Nationwide, China owns or controls millions of dollars’ worth of farmland and commercial property, often through shell companies, front organizations or state-affiliated enterprises. Many Americans consider agricultural land a critical national resource — not simply real estate, but the backbone of food security and self-sufficiency. Missouri’s move raises a fundamental question: how much foreign influence should the United States allow within its borders, especially when that influence stems from a government whose actions caused — and worsened — a global pandemic?
The judgment also underscores the broader challenges the United States faces when holding China accountable. Under federal law, states must wait a “reasonable period of time” before enforcing judgments against foreign governments. That period has now elapsed, and Missouri can proceed. But this delay illustrates a larger truth: China operates with the expectation that legal, diplomatic and bureaucratic obstacles will protect it from consequences. By pushing forward, Missouri sends a message that accountability is possible even in the face of a global superpower.
The Attorney General emphasized that the judgment “belongs to the people of Missouri” and that her office will continue efforts until enforcement is complete. Yet the broader implications belong to all Americans. This case sheds light on how China’s actions — from its early mishandling of COVID-19 to its expansion of economic influence across the United States — pose risks that require constant attention.
Economically, China’s behavior during the pandemic inflicted substantial damage on American businesses, schools and communities. Missouri's judgment highlights the idea that China’s withholding of critical public health information allowed the virus to spread unchecked. The court’s ruling establishes that foreign governments cannot act with impunity when their policies endanger American lives or destabilize the American economy.
There is also the national security dimension. Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland and real estate has already sparked warnings from federal and state officials across the political spectrum. Properties near military installations, critical infrastructure and agricultural centers raise particular concern. In multiple states, lawmakers have begun pushing legislation restricting Chinese purchases of land and high-risk assets. Missouri’s effort to seize these holdings as part of a legal judgment reinforces how deeply China has embedded itself in America’s strategic landscape.
The case also serves as a reminder that China does not easily allow deportations or legal accountability within its own borders. Whether Americans seek justice in cybercrime cases, intellectual property theft or pandemic-related damages, China routinely denies responsibility, refuses to participate in litigation and hides behind sovereign immunity. Missouri’s judgment cuts through this barrier by leveraging U.S. law to force consequences.
From an economic perspective, China’s holdings in U.S. land and commercial assets represent both financial leverage and strategic influence. The enforcement of Missouri’s judgment may encourage other states to examine how Chinese capital is entangled within their borders and what risks that poses. It also signals that China’s strategy of acquiring foreign assets — particularly in agriculture — can be subject to legal and financial vulnerability if Beijing continues to harm American interests.
The Missouri case is a landmark in American legal history because it blends public health accountability, national security concerns and economic sovereignty into a single judgment. It is a reminder that the dangers China poses to the United States do not always appear through dramatic military confrontation or global diplomacy. Sometimes they are embedded quietly — in farmland purchases, property holdings, supply-chain dependence or the consequences of concealed public health information.
As this case progresses, Missouri’s next move will be to identify Chinese-owned assets that can be seized to satisfy the judgment. This process will take time and require further court approvals, but the direction is clear. If executed successfully, it may set a national precedent on how U.S. states can respond when foreign governments injure American citizens.
For Americans watching this unfold, the warning is unmistakable. China’s reach into the United States — economically, structurally and through its past actions — has tangible consequences. The Missouri judgment is more than a legal victory; it is a call to awareness. It is a reminder that the United States must remain vigilant as China continues to expand its global influence, often in ways that directly affect American lives, property and national security.
