Uniview was added to Washington’s trade blacklist for enabling certain ‘human rights violations’, according to the US Commerce Department
Chinese video surveillance systems maker Zhejiang Uniview Technologieshas called on the US government to reconsider the company’s inclusion in a trade blacklist, as geopolitical tensions between the world’s two biggest economies continue to escalate.
Hangzhou-based Uniview on Tuesday was added to the so-called Entity List for enabling “human rights violations, including high-technology surveillance targeted at the general population, Uygurs, and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups”, the US Department of Commerce, which oversees the country’s trade policy, said in a filing.
In a statement on Wednesday, Uniview said the action was groundless and that US authorities have never informed the company of any investigation. “We urge the US government to re-examine [this decision],” Uniview said.
The company was blacklisted on the same day as Beijing Zhongdun Security Technology Group, a security hardware and software company set up by China’s Ministry of Public Security.
US suppliers of the two blacklisted Chinese firms must apply for a licence from the Bureau of Industry and Security to export any products. The licence review policy, however, is usually a “presumption of denial” – meaning that applications are unlikely to be granted.
The trade sanctions on Uniview and Zhongdun mark the latest escalation of tensions between Beijing and Washington, following the Commerce Department’s blacklisting of 140 Chinese semiconductor enterprisesearlier this month.
The US also announced new export restrictions on 24 types of chipmaking equipment and three categories of software essential for semiconductordevelopment.
Still, Uniview downplayed the effect of US trade restrictions. The company said the US action has “no major impact” on its operations and that it will ensure stable supply to its global clients.
By comparison, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology – added to the US trade blacklist in 2019 – has been struggling and is reportedly slashing jobs. In October, the firm was expected to lay off more than 1,000 employees at its research and development team, according to a report by online news platform Sina Tech.
Founded in 2011, Uniview started as a surveillance camera competitor to Hikvision and Zhejiang Dahua Technology, the world’s two biggest surveillance camera vendors. In recent years, Uniview has moved into other fields including charging piles for electric vehicles and artificial intelligence technology.
Uniview recorded 5.2 billion yuan (US$717 million) in revenue last year, according to a filing by the firm’s Shenzhen-listed parent China Transinfo Technology.
In an apparent retaliation to Washington’s recent trade sanctions, China’s antitrust regulator this week launched an investigation into Nvidia over the US semiconductor giant’s US$6.9 billion acquisition of Israeli networking products maker Mellanox Technologies, a deal that received Beijing’s approval in 2020.
Earlier this month, China announced it would restrict exports to the US of so-called essential minerals. This action prohibits “in principle” all exports to the US of gallium, germanium, antimony and superhard materials typically used in both military and technological applications.