An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
