Photo: CFP

Chinese security products and solutions provider Hikvision has submitted to the Attorney General of Canada a notice of application seeking a judicial review of the Canadian Government's decision to ban its operations in the country with an order issued on June 27, 2025.

"Hikvision Canada did so to vigorously challenge the Order and to uphold what we believe is right. Through Canada's legal system, we expect a fair process," the company said in a press release on Monday local time.

Concurrently, Hikvision Canada is asking the Court for a stay of the Order until the application for judicial review is decided, and has resumed normal operations until the motion for a stay is decided by the Court, following an agreement with the Attorney General of Canada, according to the press release.

"Hikvision Canada is committed to ensuring that our Canadian employees, distributors, installers, integrators and end-users are fully protected and supported while we pursue our legal remedies," the press release said.

Hikvision Canada also stressed that since entering the Canadian market, it has strictly abided by all applicable laws and regulations, and firmly rejected accusations that its products or technologies pose a threat to Canada's national security - or that of any other country where it operates.

"We expect the legitimate rights and interests of all investors and businesses operating in the country to be fully respected and protected by its judicial system," it said.

Previously, the Canadian government ordered Hikvision to cease operations in Canada, citing so-called national security concerns, Canada's Industry Minister Melanie Joly said on X on June 27, according to a Reuters report.

Following Canada's order, Hikvision told the Global Times on June 29 via a statement that the Canadian government's move is based on a misinterpretation of China's National Security Law and National Intelligence Law and unjustly targets Hikvision because the firm is a state-holding enterprise.

On June 30, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) slammed Canada's order for Hikvision to close its business operations in the country, and urged Ottawa to immediately correct its wrongful action.

In response to media inquiries, the spokesperson said that Canada has forcibly shut down Hikvision's operations and banned government departments from purchasing or using its products under the pretext of "national security," to which China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition.

Zhao Xingshu, deputy director of Canadian studies at the Institute of American Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the Canadian government's move lacked clear justification, and that such politically driven actions "not only harm Chinese businesses but also erode global supply chain stability, creating greater uncertainty for international economic cooperation."

The Canadian government's decision to ban Hikvision's operations, citing so-called national security concerns, is not an isolated case but part of a broader trend of politicizing economic and trade and technology issues, Zhao said, noting that in recent years, Canada's economic and trade policies toward China have increasingly shown signs of alignment with the US' crackdown measures, particularly by setting up obstacles to Chinese investment and cooperation in high-tech sectors.

In recent years, Canada has followed the US in cracking down on Chinese technology firms, including its previous decision to ban Huawei and ZTE from participating in Canada's 5G network development, and Hikvision is only the latest target, Ma Jihua, a senior industry analyst, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Ma noted that Canada's move comes as the US ended trade talks and threatened new tariffs on Canadian products. Under US pressure, Canada quickly dropped its planned digital services tax on American tech giants and stepped up crackdowns on Chinese tech firms, apparently seeking to curry favor with Washington at the expense of Chinese business interests, the expert said.

In addition to the ban on Hikvision, Canadian's House of Commons transport committee agreed on Monday local time to launch a study into the $1-billion loan the local company, B.C. Ferries, received from the Canada Infrastructure Bank to purchase four new hybrid vessels from a Chinese shipbuilder, the CBC News reported on Monday.

Zhao pointed out that Canada's decision to investigate the purchase of Chinese-built hybrid vessels by a domestic ferry operator reflects the same "de-risking" mindset. While Ottawa has stopped short of explicitly calling for "decoupling," it is clearly moving to curb ties with Chinese suppliers and block federal funds from being used for Chinese-made products.

"Chinese enterprises should actively defend their legitimate rights through legal channels while making full use of government support and multilateral or bilateral mechanisms to voice their concerns," Zhao said.