A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to avoid discussing classified information in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader security situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
