Hikvision may be the latest target of US

The foreign ministry said yesterday that China opposes the United States smearing Chinese companies, after media reports that the US administration is considering Huawei-like sanctions on Chinese video surveillance firm Hikvision.

China urges the United States to provide a fair and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese firms, ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

The new restrictions would limit Hikvision’s ability to buy US technology and American companies may have to obtain government approval to supply components to the Chinese firm, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.

“Even if the US stops selling them to us we can remedy this through other suppliers,” a Hikvision executive said on condition of anonymity.

“The chips Hikvision uses are very commercial and most of the suppliers are actually in China,” she said, but added the company had not been informed of any possible US blacklisting.

Hikvision, with a market value of more than US$37 billion, is the world’s largest video surveillance gear maker.