India Strengthens National Security by Banning Chinese-Made Surveillance Cameras, Local Brands Rely on Taiwanese Chips

India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a decree in April 2024, stipulating that to prevent surveillance camera footage from being accessed remotely by malicious parties without authorization, any surveillance equipment to be sold in India must undergo strict review. Suppliers must disclose information such as the country of origin of key components (including chip modules) and undergo vulnerability testing. Only after being confirmed safe and certified can they be sold on the market.

Since surveillance equipment manufacturers had a two-year transition period to prepare, the Indian government only began enforcing the law this April. The Economic Times of India pointed out that currently, over half of the surveillance cameras on Delhi's streets are Chinese products. To protect national security, the government will gradually replace them.

The report mentioned that the Delhi Public Works Department installed over 270,000 surveillance cameras on the streets, of which about 140,000 installed between September 2020 and November 2022 were Chinese-made. These devices will be gradually dismantled and replaced, with the first phase replacing 50,000 Chinese-made cameras.

Chinese-made surveillance equipment has been questioned for security concerns, but it is ubiquitous in India. Many government procurement projects, including subway station surveillance cameras, were awarded to Chinese manufacturers. In the civilian market, many shops, residences, and companies also use Chinese-made surveillance cameras.

The Delhi Public Works Department installed about 140,000 Chinese-made surveillance cameras on the streets between September 2020 and November 2022. These devices will be gradually dismantled. The picture shows the remaining brackets after a surveillance camera was dismantled on a Delhi street. CNA reporter Li Chin-wei took this photo in New Delhi on April 8, 2026. Nehru Place in Delhi is known as "India's Guanghua Digital Plaza" by Taiwanese businesspeople in India. It is a famous hub for information technology products, with over 1,500 shops and wholesale/retail operators, making it one of India's largest IT product distribution centers, offering a wide range of software and hardware products.

Walking into Nehru Place, shops selling various computers, mobile phones, surveillance cameras, and other equipment are all available.

Mukesh Ahirwar, a salesperson at a surveillance equipment specialty store, told a CNA reporter in an interview that in the past, people buying surveillance equipment would often prioritize Chinese products due to price considerations. "Before, everyone thought Chinese products were cheap and good to use." However, after news of the government banning Chinese surveillance cameras spread, people now really look at domestic surveillance cameras when buying them, and the sales of domestic surveillance cameras are also continuously increasing.

Ankit Kumar, who runs a communications store selling mobile phone accessories, told CNA that his store has always had surveillance cameras, "mainly to prevent theft." He used Chinese-made surveillance cameras before, "for some reason, they felt more power-consuming, and the camera angle often shifted."

Kumar said that the surveillance cameras in his store have been used for a while, and he accidentally broke one recently, so he wants to buy a new one. "I heard that the government is banning Chinese-made surveillance cameras, and I'm also a bit scared, and I'm worried that the images from my store will really be transmitted to China." Moreover, Indian-made surveillance cameras look quite good, and the price difference is not too big, so he will now choose to buy domestic surveillance cameras.

Another report from The Economic Times on the telecommunications industry observed that after the government's regulations officially came into effect in April, Chinese-made surveillance cameras and monitoring equipment are basically unable to survive in the market because the Indian government has refused to issue certifications for these Chinese manufacturers and products using Chinese chips.

The report also mentioned that Chinese brands accounted for one-third of India's surveillance camera market last year. According to market research firm Counterpoint Research's data up to February this year, 80% of the products in India's surveillance camera market are domestic brands, and these brands try to avoid using Chinese chips, opting for Taiwanese and US chips instead. (Editor: Chang Chih-hsuan) 1150408