Australian Defence Department to remove Chinese-made cameras

10-02-223 : On account of security concerns, the Australian federal government intends to remove surveillance equipment built in China from public spaces. Recently, similar moves were also made by the US and the UK.
According to reports, offices of the Australian government and its agencies, including the Department of Defense and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, are equipped with at least 913 cameras, intercoms, electronic entry systems, and video recorders made and developed by the Chinese firms Hikvision and Dahua. These cameras, which are spread across at least 200 buildings, will be removed soon.
The government of China, which is run by the Communist Party, owns a portion of Hikvision and Dahua.

An inquiry for comment was not immediately answered by the Chinese Embassy in Australia. China’s common approach to such actions is to defend its high-tech businesses as law-abiding citizens who do not participate in government or party intelligence gathering but rather uphold all local laws.
In an effort to safeguard the country’s communications infrastructure, the US prohibited several well-known Chinese brands, including Hikvision and Dahua, from manufacturing telecoms and video surveillance equipment in November.

Hikvision and Dahua, according to Paterson, should not be supported for moral reasons as well because of their suspected involvement in the violation of Uyghurs’ human rights in the region of Xinjiang.