A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government activities, from vehicle use to communication habits.
