A defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, including transport use to discussions habits.
