Highlights
- Chinese company’s equipment is installed in many sensitive places of Europe
- World’s largest manufacturer of cargo and vehicle scanners
- Equipment from the same company in 26 of the 27 EU countries
- America had already banned this company many years ago.
According to a report by AP, the World Economic Forum in Davos, Europe’s major ports, important airports from Amsterdam to Athens to the border of Russia and NATO (NATO) have been installed by Chinese company Nuctech. This company is the world’s largest manufacturer of cargo and vehicle scanners. The US had banned this Chinese company many years ago citing national security, but it was successful in getting big business in Europe.
what is worry
Today, 26 of the 27 countries of the European Union (EU) have the same company’s equipment. This has come to the fore in public procurement, government and corporate records. Finding out who owns Nuctech isn’t easy. But the business of this company is growing rapidly all over the world, due to which the concern has started increasing, especially in western countries.
Security officials and policy makers of these countries fear that China can get their government, industrial and personal data through this company. Critics say the Chinese government has heavily subsidized Nuctech so that the company can win contracts around the world. China wants to establish itself as a technology superpower and for this it wants to keep an eye on the sensitive information of Western countries.
Danger to the Trade Secret
Bart Goothuis, who was director of cybersecurity in Holland’s Defense Ministry and now a member of the European Parliament, said the Chinese company’s equipment is processing data that is extremely sensitive. This is personal data, military data and cargo data. Our trade secret is at risk. We must ensure that it remains in the right hands. We depend on a country that is our geopolitical enemy and strategic adversary.
He said that Chinese companies can hand over sensitive data to their country’s government and Europe does not have the system to monitor it. Different countries have different opinions about the security threat from Nuctech. No country has comprehensive data on how many of this company’s equipment is installed across Europe.
who is the boss
The company manufactures scanning systems for people and their belongings, as well as explosives detection devices and interconnected devices for facial recognition, body temperature, ID card and ticket recognition. According to Chinese laws, if the government demands data, then Chinese companies are required to provide it.
Critics say that the Chinese government can use the data received from Nuctech to its advantage. The devices of this Chinese company are installed at airports in London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Athens, Florence, Pisa, Venice, Zurich, Geneva and many other cities. The ownership structure of this company is so complex that it is difficult to trace its real owners. But one thing is clear that it has relations with the Chinese government, academic and military.
company claim
This company was established as a subsidiary of Tsinghua University. With the help of the Chinese government, it made rapid progress and for many years its command was in the hands of the country’s former leader Hu Jintao. Today Tongfang Co has a 71 percent stake in this company. The largest stake in Tongfang is held by China’s state-run company China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC). According to the US Defense Department, CNNC is a Chinese military company because it shares advanced technology and expertise with the Chinese military.
However, Nuctech has denied these allegations, saying that it follows local rules. This includes security checks and data privacy rules. The company’s deputy general manager in Holland, Robert Bos, said the company suffered losses due to baseless allegations. The company’s market share in Europe has halved since 2109. He said that in the last 20 years no complaint has been received about our equipment.
Sri Lanka in the debt trap of trickster China, in danger of bankruptcy
.