Minister States Ministry of Defence Examining Security Risk from Chinese Cars, with Personnel Instructed to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Cars.
An defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
