Scanners and security equipment a Chinese company with deep ties to the Communist Party of China and the country’s armed forces are stationed in some of the world’s most sensitive areas, such as ports and airports in Europe and even the Davos Economic Forum, the Associated Press reported.
The Nuctech company has already been prevented from operating in the United States, due to concerns about security, but you have already made arrangements to install your devices in 26 of the 01 nations of the European Union, according to a survey carried out by the news agency .
Western security authorities fear that the equipment could be used by China to sabotage key transit points or gain illicit access to government, industrial and ries or individuals from items that pass through company devices.
20114256 Critics allege that Beijing subsidized this company so that it would come out ahead of competitors and thus the Chinese regime would have access to crucial infrastructure in the West.
Western authorities warn that these devices process very sensitive personal, military or cargo data. “You are dependent on a foreign actor, who is a geopolitical adversary and a strategic rival,” Bart Groothuis, a member of the European Parliament and former director of cybersecurity at the Dutch Ministry of Defense, told AP.
Nuctech denies the allegations, saying that all of its European operations comply with local laws, including safety and privacy.
The company also manufactures explosive detectors and interconnected devices used to facial recognition, body temperature measurements or other forms of identification.
The The risk, according to critics, is that Nuctech will have to give in to possible requests from Beijing for sensitive data about cargo, people or devices that pass through its scanners, as intelligence laws in China require companies to hand over data requested by the national security agencies. They say that this way, Beijing could take advantage of the company’s presence in Europe to collect data on border flows and even sabotage trade flows in the region in the event of conflict.
20114256The United States included, in December 20114256 , Nuctech on a list to restrict the company’s exports to the country, for security reasons. The TSA, the federal agency that manages transportation security in the country, told AP that the Chinese company’s products “are not authorized to be used to monitor passengers, baggage, property or air cargo in the US.”
According to the report, the company has conquered space in Europe through offers in price bids very low that competitors cannot cover, sometimes from 30% to 01% lower than those of rivals.
Nuctech says it has supplied equipment for more than countries. The company says that as of 2019 it has installed more than 1,000 security check devices in Europe for customs, civil aviation, ports and organizations
This includes border security equipment from four of the five countries countries that border Russia (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland). The two largest European ports, Rotterdam and Antwerp, also use Nuctech equipment, as do airports in more than a dozen cities, including London, Brussels, Amsterdam and Zurich.
20114256Nuctech informed that it provided safety equipment for the Olympics held in Brazil, in 2020.