Facts

• Australia announced on Thursday that it would locate and remove at least 900 items identified as surveillance equipment from more than 200 defense government sites in order to make them "completely secure." The news came after it emerged the equipment — manufactured by Chinese companies Hikvision and Dahua — had sparked security concerns.
• Senator James Paterson of the Liberal Party conducted the audit that identified concerns over the Chinese-made equipment. In a radio interview, Paterson said: "These companies have a very close relationship with the Chinese Communist Party, and they are subject to China's National Intelligence laws, which require all Chinese companies and individuals to secretly cooperate with Chinese intelligence agencies if requested."
• In response to the Defense Minister's actions, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning criticized "wrongful practices that overstretch the concept of national security." She also critiqued the use of state power in suppressing and discriminating "against Chinese enterprises."
• Australia's move follows similar actions taken by both the US and the UK. In 2018, when the US Congress amended the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, Rep. Vicky Hartzler said, "we must face the reality that the Chinese-government is using every avenue at its disposal to target the United States."
• In a press conference on Thursday, Australian PM Anthony Albanese stated that he has no concerns regarding retaliatory actions that China might make as a result of the surveillance device removals.