Australia to remove Chinese-made cameras from defence sites

SYDNEY: Australia´s defence department will strip its buildings of Chinese-made security cameras to ensure they are “completely secure”, the government said on Thursday.

It follows similar moves in the United States and Britain, which have taken measures to stop government departments installing Chinese-made cameras at sensitive sites. Both countries have expressed fears that Chinese companies could be forced to share intelligence collected by the cameras with Beijing´s security services.

Beijing accused Australia of “misusing national might to discriminate against and suppress Chinese enterprises”, calling on Canberra to ensure “fair” treatment for its businesses in the country.

At least 913 Chinese-made cameras have been installed across more than 250 Australian government buildings, according to official figures compiled by opposition politician James Paterson.

This includes offices and facilities belonging to the departments of defence, foreign affairs and finance, as well as the attorney-general´s department. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said officials would hunt down and remove all Chinese-made security cameras within the department´s buildings.

“It´s a significant thing that´s been brought to our attention and we´re going to fix it,” he told national broadcaster ABC. “It´s important that we go through this exercise and make sure that our facilities are completely secure.”

The government-funded national War Memorial -- a sprawling 14-hectare (35 acres) complex in Canberra -- also confirmed it would remove a small number of Chinese-made cameras, out of an “abundance of caution”. Other government agencies declined to comment, or referred back to Marles´ statements.