China Protests Over Canada's Move to Shut Down Hikvision

Canada’s order on Friday for surveillance camera operator HikVision to shut down its operations in the country drew a predictable response from Beijing on Monday.

China’s commerce ministry urged Canada to “immediately correct its wrongdoings” after Ottawa ordered the Chinese company to cease operation in the country, citing national security concerns.

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In a statement published on its website, the Chinese ministry vowed to take the “necessary measures” to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese businesses.

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“The government has determined that Hikvision Canada Inc’s continued operations in Canada would be injurious to Canada’s national security,” Canadian Industry Minister Melanie Joly said on X, adding that the decision was taken after a multi-step review of information provided by Canada’s security and intelligence community.

China’s foreign ministry on Monday also expressed strong opposition to Canada’s move and said it has lodged stern representations with the Canadian side.

The foreign ministry accused Canada of generalising the concept of national security and suppressing Chinese enterprises and urged it to provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese companies.

Rights groups have accused Beijing of locking up millions of Uyghurs and other minorities in prison camps or forcing them to work in state companies. This undated Reuters image shows Uyghurs in a re-education camp in Xinjiang in western China.

Firm linked previously to repression of Uyghurs

Hikvision, also known as Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co, has faced numerous sanctions and restrictions by Canada’s neighbour, the United States, over the past five and a half years for the firm’s dealings and the use of its equipment in China’s Xinjiang region, where rights groups have documented abuses against the Uyghur population and other Muslim communities.

However, Joly’s statement did not mention China or Xinjiang or specify how Hikvision would harm Canada’s national security.

“We strongly disagree with this decision and view it with deep concern, as we believe it lacks a factual basis, procedural fairness and transparency,” a Hikvision spokesperson told Reuters.

“Instead of evaluating our technology on its cybersecurity merits, the decision appears to be driven by the parent company’s country of origin, reflecting broader geopolitical tensions and an unjustified bias against Chinese companies.”

The spokesperson said the company “urges the Canadian government to base its actions on facts rather than prejudice, and to uphold a fair, transparent environment for all businesses and investors.”

The company, which describes itself as the world’s biggest maker of video surveillance equipment, said last year it had exited contracts in Xinjiang through five subsidiaries that were added to a US trade blacklist in 2023.

The Chinese government has denied repeated allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang and has criticized or targeted companies for removing Xinjiang firms from their supply chains.

Canada said last year it was reviewing an application to impose sanctions against Chinese surveillance equipment companies, including Hikvision, after rights advocates alleged the firms were aiding repression and high-tech surveillance in Xinjiang.

Joly said Canada was also banning the purchase of Hikvison’s products in government departments and agencies, and reviewing existing properties to ensure that legacy Hikvision products were not used in the future.

She said the order does not extend to the company’s affiliate operations outside Canada but “strongly” encouraged Canadians “to take note of this decision and make their own decisions accordingly.”