Hikvision and Dahua Equipment to be Removed from UK Government Sites

In an effort to address concerns of potential spying by China, Britain has made the decision to eliminate Chinese-made surveillance equipment from sensitive government locations. The government had previously instructed its departments to refrain from installing CCTV cameras with Chinese connections in vulnerable structures.

As part of an announcement regarding stricter procurement regulations, the Cabinet Office declared its commitment to publishing a timeline for the removal of surveillance equipment manufactured by companies governed by China’s National Intelligence Law from critical central government sites.

The statement did not name specific companies, but MPs have previously called for a ban on the sale and use of security cameras made by Hikvision and Dahua, two partly state-owned Chinese firms, over privacy concerns about their products being linked to human rights abuses in China. Prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has cast China as the world’s greatest challenge to security and prosperity.

Hikvision said in a statement: “We believe that the possible action by the UK government is a further step up of the mounting geopolitical tensions being expressed through technology bans, which by no means relates to the security of Hikvision’s products.”