The statement did not name specific companies.
British lawmakers have previously called for a ban on the sale and use of security cameras made by Hikvision and Dahua, two partly state-owned Chinese firms, over privacy fears and concerns of the companies’ products being linked to human rights abuses in China.
“We believe that the possible action by the UK government is a further step up of the mounting geopolitical tensions being expressed through technology bans, which by no means relates to the security of Hikvision’s products,” Hikvision said in a statement.
Beijing has said it “firmly opposes” overstretching the concept of national security to suppress Chinese enterprises.
“The Chinese government has always encouraged Chinese companies to conduct international investment and cooperation in accordance with market principles, international rules and local laws,” a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Britain said in a statement.
“We urge the UK side to stop political manipulation and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for the normal operation of Chinese companies in the UK.”
Britain barred TikTok on government phones in March this year, while in 2020 it said it would ban Huawei Technologies from its 5G network. Some US states have banned vendors and products from several Chinese technology companies
