The Canadian government has directed Chinese surveillance camera maker Hikvision to halt its operations in Canada, citing national security concerns. The announcement was made by Industry Minister Mélanie Joly on Friday night.
Hikvision, formally known as Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co (002415.SZ), has come under increasing scrutiny in North America in recent years. The company has already faced multiple sanctions and restrictions in the United States over its alleged involvement in surveillance activities in China’s Xinjiang region, where human rights groups have reported systemic abuses against Uyghur Muslims and other minority communities.
“The government has determined that Hikvision Canada Inc’s continued operations in Canada would be injurious to Canada’s national security,” Minister Joly stated on social media platform X. She noted that the decision followed a detailed review process involving Canada’s security and intelligence agencies.
The statement, however, did not elaborate on how Hikvision’s presence specifically threatened Canadian national interests, nor did it reference China or the Xinjiang region.
In response, Hikvision issued a statement to Reuters, expressing strong disagreement with the decision. “We view it with deep concern, as we believe it lacks a factual basis, procedural fairness, and transparency,” a company spokesperson said. “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”. (Newswire)