A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, from transport use to discussions practices.
