A defense official has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have 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 driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader defence environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
