Canada orders China's Hikvision to close Canadian operations over security concerns

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Jun 28, 2025 9:52 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

The Canadian authorities has ordered Chinese surveillance camera shaper Hikvision to cease operations successful Canada implicit nationalist information concerns, Industry Minister Melanie Joly said precocious connected Friday.

Hikvision, besides known arsenic Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co., has faced galore sanctions and restrictions by Canada's neighbour, the United States, implicit the past 5½ years for the firm's dealings and the usage of its instrumentality successful China's Xinjiang region, wherever rights groups person documented abuses against the Uyghur colonisation and different Muslim communities.

"The authorities has determined that Hikvision Canada Inc.'s continued operations successful Canada would beryllium injurious to Canada's nationalist security," Joly said connected X, adding that the determination was taken aft a multi-step reappraisal of accusation provided by Canada's information and quality community.

Her connection did not notation China oregon Xinjiang oregon specify however Hikvision would harm Canada's nationalist security.

"We powerfully disagree with this determination and presumption it with heavy concern, arsenic we judge it lacks a factual basis, procedural fairness and transparency," a Hikvision spokesperson told Reuters.

"Instead of evaluating our exertion connected its cybersecurity merits, the determination appears to beryllium driven by the genitor company's state of origin, reflecting broader geopolitical tensions and an unjustified bias against Chinese companies."

The spokesperson said the institution "urges the Canadian authorities to basal its actions connected facts alternatively than prejudice, and to uphold a fair, transparent situation for each businesses and investors."

China's Foreign Ministry did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

The company, which describes itself arsenic the world's biggest shaper of video surveillance equipment, said past twelvemonth it had exited contracts successful Xinjiang done 5 subsidiaries that were added to a U.S. commercialized blacklist successful 2023.

The Chinese authorities has denied each allegations of quality rights abuses successful Xinjiang and has criticized oregon targeted companies for removing Xinjiang firms from their proviso chains.

Canada said past twelvemonth it was reviewing an exertion to enforce sanctions against Chinese surveillance instrumentality companies, including Hikvision, aft rights advocates alleged the firms were aiding repression and high-tech surveillance successful Xinjiang.

Joly said Canada was besides banning the acquisition of Hikvison's products successful authorities departments and agencies, and reviewing existing properties to guarantee that bequest Hikvision products were not utilized successful the future.

She said the bid does not widen to the company's affiliate operations extracurricular Canada but "strongly" encouraged Canadians "to instrumentality enactment of this determination and marque their ain decisions accordingly."