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The Australian Defense Department has announced that it will remove surveillance cameras made by companies with links to the Chinese Communist Party from its bases.
This move comes on the heels of a similar announcement by the U.S. Department of Defense in November, which banned telecommunications equipment from several Chinese brands to protect the country’s communications network.
The Defense Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade reportedly have at least 913 Chinese-sourced surveillance equipment from China’s two leading surveillance companies – Hikvision and Dahua.
Hikvision and Dahua, two of the world’s largest and most popular video surveillance manufacturers, are partially owned by China’s Communist Party-ruled government.
According to Australia’s defence minister Richard Marles, his organisation assesses all of its surveillance equipment.
“Where those particular cameras are found, they’re going to be removed,” Marles said in an interview. “There is an issue here, and we’re going to deal with it.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning denounced “wrongful practices that overstretch the concept of national security and abuse state power to suppress and discriminate against Chinese enterprises” when asked about Australia’s decision.
Mao stated that the Chinese government “always encouraged Chinese enterprises to carry out foreign investment and cooperation in accordance with market principles and international rules, and based on compliance with local laws,” without explicitly mentioning Australia.
The National Disability Insurance Agency and the Australian War Memorial have declared they will take down the Chinese cameras installed at their locations.
In response to the Home Affairs Department’s inability to provide information on the number of cameras, access control systems, and intercoms installed in government buildings, opposition cybersecurity spokesman James Paterson claimed he initiated the audit by requesting information from each federal agency over the course of six months.
It is clear that Australia is taking a proactive approach to addressing its security concerns, and the decision to remove Chinese-made cameras from military sites is just one example.
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