UK to remove Chinese surveillance cameras from sensitive government sites as Beijing hits back
The UK is to strip Chinese surveillance cameras from its sensitive government sites over national security measures related to China.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made his stance on China clear at the G7 summit last month, saying the country posed the “biggest challenge” in the world to global security and prosperity.
The government pledged to publish a timeline to remove equipment produced by companies subject to China’s National Intelligence Law from its sites.
The government said: “By committing to this timeline, we are providing reassurance and urgency around the removal plans.”
While not naming which surveillance camera companies would be affected, the UK has previously called for sanctions on the sale and use of cameras made by Hikvision and Dahua – two partly state-owned Chinese firms, over privacy concerns and their reported involvement in human rights abuses in China.
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China is ‘biggest challenge on security’
Beijing said it “firmly opposes” using the idea of national security to hinder Chinese companies in the UK.
A spokesperson for the UK’s Chinese Embassy said in a statement: “The Chinese government has always encouraged Chinese companies to conduct international investment and co-operation in accordance with market principles, international rules and local laws.
“We urge the UK side to stop political manipulation and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for the
normal operation of Chinese companies in the UK.”
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Hikvision, which makes a range of security equipment, said: “We believe that the possible action by the UK government is a further step up of the mounting geopolitical tensions being expressed through technology bans, which by no means relates to the security of Hikvision’s products.”
Meanwhile, three of the UK’s biggest supermarkets, including Morrisons and Tesco, have banned Chinese CCTV cameras from their stores due to security and ethical concerns.
The government also suspended Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok from its phones in March this year, while in 2020 it said it would ban Huawei from its 5G network.
A woman who was stabbed to death in north London has been named by police – as a man was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Pamela Munro, 45, was found with a stab wound and died at the scene in Ayley Croft, Enfield, on Saturday evening, the Metropolitan Police said.
A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder on Monday and is in custody, the force added.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil John said: “Investigating officers have worked relentlessly across the weekend to investigate the circumstances around Pamela’s death.
“We continue to support her family who are understandably devastated.”
Police at the scene at Ayley Croft in Enfield
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The Met Police has asked anyone with information or who was driving through Ayley Court between 6.30pm and 7.30pm on Saturday and may have dashcam footage to contact the force.
A “British man” has died after being beaten and set on fire by a mob in Ecuador, according to reports by media in the South American country.
According to reports, the man – who has not been officially identified – had been detained by police after being accused of being involved in a fatal shooting.
Ecuadorian news outlet Ecuavisa reported that the man had been taken to a police station Playas del Cuyabeno, a remote village in the Amazon rainforest.
While there, a group broke into the station and took the man away. He was then set on fire in the street, it is reported, and died from his burns.
The incident reportedly happened in the Playas del Cuyabeno area of Sucumbios province
Another local report, from EXTRA.ec, said that specialist police units had been slow to arrive due to the geographical conditions of the area – which is accessible by river.
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According to reports, police officers at the station apparently decided they could not intervene when the mob arrived out of concerns for their own safety.
It is understood the UK Foreign Office is following up reports about the incident and working with local authorities to confirm the details.
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