On Thursday, British government departments were ordered to stop installing Chinese-made surveillance cameras in “sensitive locations”, AFP reported.

The decision was announced as London got tougher on China and its companies over security concerns.

Last week, the government ordered a Chinese company to sell its stake in a leading British semiconductor maker.

According to civil liberties group Big Brother Watch, most government agencies in the UK use CCTV cameras made by Chinese companies Hikivision or Dahua.

In July, a group of 67 MPs and Lords (members of the upper house of parliament) called on London to ban the sale and use of surveillance equipment made by the two companies, some of which are believed to have facilitated abuses against the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang.

The government does not go so far as to ban these companies completely. But it prevents Britain from using “visual surveillance systems” created by companies Beijing has ordered to share information with Chinese security services.

According to the British authorities, no such cameras should be connected to the “core networks” of government departments, and departments should consider replacing them rather than waiting for planned upgrades.

A government inquiry concluded that “given the threat to the UK and the increasing bandwidth and connectivity of these systems, additional controls are needed”, minister Oliver Dowden told parliament.

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