• Chinese-made security cameras are removed from premises to guarantee they are “fully secure.
• Similar initiatives is taken in the United States and the United Kingdom.
• Beijing has accused Australia of misusing national strength.

SYDNEY: Australia‘s military department will remove Chinese-made security cameras from its premises to guarantee they are “fully secure,” the government announced on Thursday.

It follows similar initiatives in the United States and the United Kingdom, which have taken steps to prevent government agencies from installing Chinese-made cameras at critical sites.

Both countries are concerned that Chinese enterprises would be obliged to disclose information gathered by the cameras with Beijing’s security services.

Beijing has accused Australia of “misusing national strength to discriminate against and oppress Chinese enterprises,” and has urged Canberra to ensure “fair” treatment for its companies operating in the country.

According to official numbers provided by opposition member James Paterson, at least 913 Chinese-made cameras have been deployed throughout more than 250 Australian government buildings.

This contains offices and facilities belonging to the defence, foreign affairs, and finance departments, as well as the attorney-office. general’s

According to Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles, staff will track down and remove all Chinese-made security cameras from department buildings.

“It’s a big item that has been brought to our notice, and we’re going to address it,” he said on national television.

“We must go through this exercise to ensure that our facilities are absolutely protected.”

The government-funded national War Memorial — a large 14-hectare (35 acres) facility in Canberra — also stated it would remove a small number of Chinese-made cameras, out of a “abundance of caution”.

Other government agencies either declined to respond or referred to Marles’ remarks.

Paterson, a vociferous critic of China‘s government, previously stated that Australian government facilities were “riddled” with “spyware” and that every Chinese-made camera should be taken out immediately.

‘Unacceptable risk’

The cameras were made by companies Hikvision and Dahua, which have been blacklisted in the United States for allegedly assisting the Chinese government carry out a “campaign of repression”.

Hikvision and Dahua have been linked in the “high-technology surveillance” of the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang, according to the US Department of Commerce.

The US prohibited the import of monitoring technology built by the two businesses in November last year, claiming it presented “an intolerable risk to national security”.

In the United Kingdom, a group of 67 MPs and Lords demanded that Hikvision and Dahua be banned in July of last year, following accusations that their equipment had been used to track Uyghurs.

In June 2021, a Hikvision CCTV camera filmed former health secretary Matt Hancock kissing an aide in breach of Covid standards, prompting his resignation.

Hikvision said it was “categorically false” to paint the company as “a threat to national security”.

“No respected technical institution or assessment has come to this conclusion,” the company told in a statement.

“Our products are compliant with all applicable Australian laws and regulations and are subject to strict security requirements.”

“We hope Australia will provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for the normal operations of Chinese enterprises,” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

“We oppose any wrong action of stretching the concept of national security and misusing national might to discriminate against and suppress Chinese enterprises.”

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