A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned 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 are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
