Abuse of ‘security’ stifles innovation, collaboration

In a statement on Friday, Germany’s Data Protection Commissioner Meike Kamp asked Apple and Google to carry out a “timely review” about whether to ban the DeepSeek app or not from their respective app stores in the country, due to concerns about data protection.

Alleging that DeepSeek unlawfully transfers German user data to China, Kamp said in a statement that the company had not provided her agency with convincing evidence that German users’ data is protected in China to a level equivalent to that in the European Union.

It is irresponsible for Kamp to speak ill of China when it comes to the operation of a private Chinese company in her country as she has no evidence that DeepSeek transfers its users’ data back to China.

Also on Friday, the Canadian Industry Minister Melanie Joly said that the Canadian government had ordered Chinese surveillance camera manufacturer Hikvision to cease operations in Canada over national security concerns.

The Canadian government has determined that Hikvision Canada Inc’s continued operations would be “injurious” to Canada’s national security, Joly said on X, claiming that the decision was taken after a multi-step review of information provided by Canada’s security and intelligence community.

Yet, similar to the DeepSeek case, no specific examples or evidence were publicly provided to show how Hikvision’s products pose a direct threat to Canada’s national interests. Once again, it seems that security concerns have become the pretext for suppressing successful Chinese companies.

The concept of national security has repeatedly been abused by some Western countries to disrupt the operations of Chinese companies in their countries. That’s despite the companies concerned firmly rebutting the allegations and the Chinese government reiterating on different occasions that it attaches great importance to the protection of data privacy and safety, and it has never required Chinese firms or individuals to transfer collected data.

In response to Canada’s ban, Hikvision said that it has always adhered to business ethics, operated in full compliance with local laws and regulations and conducted its global operations lawfully. The company urged the Canadian government to uphold the rule of law and take a fact-based approach rather than acting on speculation and prejudice.

The Chinese embassy in Canada also expressed strong opposition and deep dissatisfaction with the Canadian government’s decision, and urged it to immediately correct its wrong.

It is clear that although the Cold War ended more than three decades ago, some politicians in the West still look at economic issues through its prism. As a result, they are paranoid about Chinese companies operating in their countries and DeepSeek and Hikvision are just the latest victims of this unjustifiable scrutiny in the United States, Canada and Europe over alleged security concerns. It indicates the degree to which this paranoia is politicizing the normal business operations of Chinese companies.

Another factor behind this trend appears to be the false perception that Chinese companies, through innovation and rapid growth, pose a so-called serious challenge to the global tech dominance long held by Western companies. Instead of fostering healthy competition, some countries are choosing to suppress potential rivals under vague national security justifications.

The United States has imposed sanctions and restrictions on Hikvision since 2019, citing fabricated human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. However, such actions rely heavily on unverified intelligence assessments, raising questions about fairness and transparency.

It is unfair and unjustifiable for Chinese companies such as DeepSeek and Hikvision to be targeted in such ways by Western countries simply because they are from China. The unfair treatment they have received is a travesty of market rules and fair competition.[Abridged]

Editorial, China Daily