A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of official operations, including transport use to communication practices.
