China’s Hikvision hits out at US Congress over ‘baseless’ ban on using surveillance equipment over national security concerns
Security camera manufacturer reacts after House of Representatives adds it to list of companies seen as threatening US national security
A leading Chinese manufacturer of video surveillance technology has criticised as “baseless” a vote by the US Congress to ban the federal government from buying its products because of national security concerns.
The House of Representatives last week passed a US$717 defence bill that carried an amendment, which forbade US government agencies from buying surveillance products from Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology and two other Chinese firms – Hytera Communications Corporation and Zhejiang Dahua Technology Company.
Hikvision, based in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, is the latest Chinese company that the US has sought to ban from selling products to the government because of security worries.
In a statement published on its official social media account on Saturday, Hikvision – one of the world’s largest makers of video surveillance equipment – said it was disappointed by the vote.
It said there was no proof that it threatened US national security and that such an accusation carried “obvious speculation and bias”.