A defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, from transport use to discussions practices.
