An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned 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 precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
