A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government activities, from transport usage to discussions habits.
