• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My TechDecisions

  • Best of Tech Decisions
  • Topics
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Mobility
    • Unified Communications
    • IT Infrastructure
    • Network Security
    • Physical Security
    • Facility
    • Compliance
  • RFP Resources
  • Resources
  • Podcasts
  • Project of the Week
  • About Us
    SEARCH
IT Infrastructure, News

Hikvision Among Tech Companies the Department of Defense Says Are Backed by Chinese Military

Department of Defense releases document listing 20 companies operating in the U.S. that Washington alleges are backed by Chinese military.

June 30, 2020 TechDecisions Staff Leave a Comment

Hikvision, tech companies, chinese government, department of defense US

Hikvision was blacklisted by the Trump Administration last year, but now it is on the list of tech companies owned or controlled by the Chinese military, the U.S. Department of Defense says.

Reuters is reporting a Department of Defense (DOD) document listing 20 companies, including Hikvision and Huawei, operating in the United States that Washington alleges are backed by the Chinese military.

Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton and Wisconsin Congressman Mike Gallagher, who wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper in September raising concerns about the Chinese Communist Party’s espionage, praised the list.

“We commend the Department of Defense for releasing this list of Chinese military companies operating in the United States and hope more will soon follow. This report is one piece of a broader campaign our nation must wage against the Chinese Communist Party and its parasitic technology transfer efforts,” they said in a statement. “We urge the President to impose economic penalties against these Chinese military firms. Meanwhile, Congress should update this 1999 law to better address the present-day challenges posed by China’s Military-Civil Fusion strategy.”

Hikvision calls the list “baseless” and denies being a “Chinese military company.” A Hikvision spokesperson tells SSI:

“Hikvision strongly opposes the decision by the U.S. government to misapply a never-used provision of a 21-year-old law. This latest inclusion is baseless. As a publicly traded company and independently operated enterprise, details about our ownership have always been publicly available, while the company’s operation and business information is also publicly accessible. Not only is Hikvision not a “Chinese military company,” Hikvision has never participated in any R&D work for military applications.

Related: Russian Military Hackers Have Exploited an Email Software

Hikvision has always tried to fully and transparently cooperate with the U.S. government to answer questions and correct misunderstandings about the company. Hikvision will continue to try to work with the U.S. government to resolve all of these matters.”

The White House has not said whether it would sanction the companies on the list, but a senior administration official told Reuters the list can be seen as “a useful tool for the U.S. Government, companies, investors, academic institutions, and likeminded partners to conduct due diligence with regard to partnerships with these entities, particularly as the list grows.”

In August of 2019, the implementation of the interim Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rule prohibited federal agencies from purchasing or obtaining telecommunications and video surveillance equipment from five Chinese companies — including Hikvision.

A few months later in October, the Commerce Department added 28 state security bureaus and tech companies in China, including Hikvision, to a United States blacklist over concerns about their role in human rights violations, effectively blocking those entities from doing business with U.S. firms.

This story premiered on our sister site, Security Sales & Integration.

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!

Related Content:

  • Cloud, SASE, Aryaka How the Cloud is Redefining Media Production and…
  • Singlewire Software mass notification interview Singlewire Software on Mass Notification Solutions
  • URI catchbox 1 Catchbox Plus: The Mic Solution That Finally Gave…
  • Engaging virtual meeting with diverse participants discussing creative ideas in a bright office space during daylight hours Diversified Survey: Workplace AV Tech is Falling Short,…

Free downloadable guide you may like:

  • Practical Design Guide for Office SpacesPractical Design Guide for Office Spaces

    Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-face time with co-workers. When designing the office spaces — and meeting spaces in particular — enabling that connection between co-workers is crucial. But introducing the right collaboration technology in meeting spaces can […]

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Downloads

Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces
Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces

Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-fa...

New Camera Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow
New Camera System Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow

Sony's HXC-FZ90 studio camera system combines flexibility and exceptional image quality with entry-level pricing.

Creating Great User Experience and Ultimate Flexibility with Clickshare

Working and collaborating in any office environment today should be meaningful, as workers today go to office for very specific reasons. When desig...

View All Downloads

Would you like your latest project featured on TechDecisions as Project of the Week?

Apply Today!

More from Our Sister Publications

Get the latest news about AV integrators and Security installers from our sister publications:

Commercial IntegratorSecurity Sales

AV-iQ

Footer

TechDecisions

  • Home
  • Welcome to TechDecisions
  • Contact Us
  • Comment Guidelines
  • RSS Feeds
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin

Free Technology Guides

FREE Downloadable resources from TechDecisions provide timely insight into the issues that IT, A/V, and Security end-users, managers, and decision makers are facing in commercial, corporate, education, institutional, and other vertical markets

View all Guides
TD Project of the Week

Get your latest project featured on TechDecisions Project of the Week. Submit your work once and it will be eligible for all upcoming weeks.

Enter Today!
Emerald Logo
ABOUTCAREERSAUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERSYour Privacy ChoicesTERMS OF USEPRIVACY POLICY

© 2025 Emerald X, LLC. All rights reserved.