A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
