An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from transport use to discussions habits.
