A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from transport usage to communication practices.
