Covid-19: China now faces 'compensation' heat, London-based ICJ moves UNHRC

The complaint was penned by senior advocate Adish C. Aggarwala, the Chairperson of All India Bar Association and President of International Council of Jurists, in the backdrop of the spread of deadly coronavirus, which has claimed thousands of lives across the world..

"It is humbly prayed that the UNHRC may be pleased to enquire and direct China and to adequately compensate international community and member states, particularly India, for surreptitiously developing a biological weapon capable of mass destruction of mankind," Aggarwala stated in the complaint as quoted by the Indian news channel News18.

A UK lawsuit against China for “patent breaches” of the International Health Regulations in its handling of COVID-19 could be worth £351 billion, as per the report published by UK-based think tank the Henry Jackson Society.

The report claims that the Chinese Communist Party’s early handling of the disease and failure to adequately report information to the WHO breached Articles Six and Seven of the International Health Regulations, a treaty to which China is a signatory and legally obliged to uphold, reported Smart Thinking. 

These breaches – it is claimed – allowed the outbreak to rapidly spread outside Wuhan, its place of origin. The minutes of the UK’s scientific advisory group on new and emerging viral threats record how the lack of information delayed the response to the virus including the lack of travel screening, according to an outline in the report. 

As a result of the breaches of international law, the report assesses that potential damages liable against China could run to £3.2 trillion from just the G7 nations. The UK is said to have a claim worth a potential £351 billion in damages based on announced government spending, read the report.

The US meanwhile could claim £933.3 billion, Canada £47.9 billion, and Australia £29.9 billion, it said.

The Henry Jackson Society’s recommendations include making use of the International Court of Justice; Permanent Court of Arbitration; Hong Kong Courts; dispute resolutions through Bilateral Investment Treaties; and actions at the WTO.

The report has been released at a time when 15 senior Tories led by former Deputy Prime Minister Damian Green have reportedly written to UK PM Boris Johnson to demand a 'rethink and a reset' in relations with Beijing.