An defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from transport usage to discussions habits.
