An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
