An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
