Chinese Surveillance Firm Dahua Exits Xinjiang Projects Amid Controversy

 

Chinese surveillance tech

Zhejiang Dahua Technology, a prominent Chinese video surveillance equipment manufacturer, has announced the termination or exit from five projects it had undertaken with local governments in Xinjiang, according to a stock exchange filing made on Monday. These projects, awarded between 2016 and 2017, have been either canceled early or are still in progress, the company confirmed. Dahua plans to cease operations on these projects and handle asset disposal and debt resolution.

The move follows a similar decision earlier this month by rival Chinese surveillance giant Hikvision, which also pulled out of contracts with five local governments in Xinjiang. Both companies refrained from offering specific reasons for their withdrawals.

Dahua's exit comes after the company, along with several others, was blacklisted by the U.S. in 2019 for alleged involvement in surveillance operations linked to human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims and other minority groups in Xinjiang. Dahua denied the accusations, calling the U.S. decision baseless.

The Chinese government has consistently rejected claims of human rights violations in the region and criticized companies for severing ties with Xinjiang, urging them not to remove firms from their supply chains over political reasons.