An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if 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 devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
